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Law360 (April 9, 2020, 8:48 PM EDT) -- The New Jersey state court system has expanded its electronic filing options to ease the inconvenience of court restrictions for attorneys and pro se litigants during the COVID-19 pandemic, the judiciary announced Thursday.
The state's Judiciary Electronic Document Submission, or JEDS, now allows parties to use the system for family court filings related to matters like divorce, custody and child support, the announcement said. Parties can also file complaints, answers and motions in civil, special civil, general equity, law and foreclosure cases.
JEDS was in place before the global health crisis, according to the judiciary, but the expanded offerings were available early due to the suspension of most in-person proceedings amid social distancing protocol. The offerings will continue to grow as the system's development advances, the statement said.
"During this time of social distancing, we must rely on technology more than ever to keep the courts moving as efficiently as possible. This expansion of our filing system will help self-represented litigants and attorneys continue to move forward with important matters, from child support to landlord/tenant issues," Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the courts, said in a statement.
New Jersey's coronavirus-prompted court restrictions began in March with the suspension of most in-person court proceedings, including trials, in criminal, civil, family, tax and municipal courts. The judiciary also announced it was delaying two appellate judge terms, and said on March 27 that the restrictions would be extended for an additional 30 days as Gov. Phil Murphy and other public officials stepped up their emphasis on social distancing.
In other coronavirus accommodations, New Jersey state courts said Monday that 2020 law school graduates could begin practicing right away in light of the postponement of the July bar exam. The graduates must only practice under the supervision of experienced attorneys, receive a character certification and apply for the next available exam, with one hardship extension allowed.
New Jersey maintained its spot Thursday as the second hardest-hit state in the nation, with 51,027 coronavirus cases and 1,700 deaths. Only New York has surpassed the Garden State as the nation's COVID-19 epicenter, with more than 159,000 cases and 7,000 deaths as of the latest data available.
--Editing by Alanna Weissman.
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