Contact the NJ State Archives
Mailing Address:
NJ State Archives
P.O. Box 307
Trenton, NJ 08625-0307

Office Address:
225 West State Street - 2nd Floor
Trenton, NJ

Contact Information

Email: Feedback@sos.nj.gov

Supreme Court of New Jersey


The Supreme Court had pre-1948 jurisdiction over: original common law cases including debt and trespass; treason, sedition and naturalization during the Revolutionary and colonial periods; and appeals, including cases from the Courts of Common Pleas.

See the Bureau of Archives & History Manuscript Collection (referenced below), Box 1-25, for early papers of this court.

For Supreme Court records post-dating the collections listed below, contact the Supreme Court Clerk's Office at PO Box 970, Trenton, NJ 08625, tel. 609-984-7791.

Consult the Organizational Chart for Pre-1948 Court System for further information on court jurisdictions.


Series:
Department of Education
New Jersey State Library
Bureau of Archives and History
Manuscript Collection, 1680s-1970s
Control #:
SEDSL006
Format:
41.25 c.f. (66 boxes and 9 map folders); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological within record type
Notes:
Includes early records for: governors, legislature, courts, Hunterdon County, local elections, Revolutionary War, etc.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Judiciary
Maps and Plans, 1850s-1890s
Control #:
SJU00001
Format:
19 c.f. (13 map boxes and 5 flat boxes)
Arrangement:
Various
Notes:
Includes maps filed with the Supreme Court, Chancery Court, and probably Prerogative Court.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Case Files, 1704-1844
Control #:
SSV00001
Format:
495.5 c.f. (899 boxes, 10 map folders, 5 vols.); 653 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Numerical by case number
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Minutes, 1704-1873
Control #:
SSV00002
Format:
21 c.f. (108 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Judgments and Process Books (and Indexes), 1743-1948
Control #:
SSV00003
Format:
150 c.f. (336 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Clerk's Books, 1805-1916
Control #:
SSV00004
Format:
1.5 c.f. (8 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Cost Books, 1787-1798
Control #:
SSV00005
Format:
0.25 c.f. (2 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Oaths of Justices, 1927-1948
Control #:
SSV00006
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by justice
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Bar Association Petitions and Orders for Recognition, 1948-1949
Control #:
SSV00007
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by county
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Judgment Scrolls [Parchments], 1705-1831
Control #:
SSV00008
Format:
78 c.f. (126 boxes)
Notes:
Box #96-117 is unprocessed.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Recognizances, 1706-1838
Control #:
SSV00009
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Extracts, 1711-1840
Control #:
SSV00010
Format:
1 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Unbound Minutes, Dockets and Accounts, 1736-1818
Control #:
SSV00011
Format:
2 c.f. (4 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Naturalization, 1741-1873
Control #:
SSV00012
Format:
3.75 c.f. (8 boxes); 7 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Various
Notes:
Consult card-file index in Manuscript Reading Room and/or typescript index in Box 8.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Notices, 1707-1852
Control #:
SSV00013
Format:
3 c.f. (3 boxes)
Arrangement:
By year
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Lost Deeds, 1758-1838
Control #:
SSV00014
Format:
1 c.f. (2 boxes); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Estates and Partitions, 1714-1900
Control #:
SSV00015
Format:
3 c.f. (5 boxes and 2 vols.); 2 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by decedent/chronological
Notes:
Estates are alphabetical by decedent; partitions are chronological.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Account Books [Lawyers' Fees], 1817-1842
Control #:
SSV00016
Format:
1 c.f. (5 vols.); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Road Book A, 1830-1889
Control #:
SSV00017
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.); 1 reel (35-mm)
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Dockets and Indexes, 1842-1948
Control #:
SSV00018
Format:
28 c.f. (110 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological by initial court action
Notes:
Indexes are alphabetical by plaintiff within year groupings.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Appointment Books, 1832-1948
Control #:
SSV00019
Format:
0.5 c.f. (2 vols.)
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Certiorari Dockets and Indexes, 1892-1948
Control #:
SSV00020
Format:
3 c.f. (10 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological by initial court action
Notes:
Indexes are alphabetical by plaintiff within year groupings.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Opinion Indexes, 1860-1948
Control #:
SSV00021
Format:
1 c.f. (4 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Miscellaneous Volumes, 1755-1874
Control #:
SSV00022
Format:
1.75 c.f. (4 boxes)
Arrangement:
Various
Notes:
Includes dockets, arguments, memorandum book, rules, and other records.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Certificates of Attorneys, 1783-1902, 1928 & 1938
Control #:
SSV00023
Format:
18 c.f. (36 boxes)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by attorney name
Notes:
Includes one item each from 1928 and 1938.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Record of Returned Executions from Sheriffs, 1857-1873
Control #:
SSV00024
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Attachment Book No. 2, 1900-1927
Control #:
SSV00025
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)
Notes:
Includes nos. 411-840.

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Bail Book, 1903-1948
Control #:
SSV00026
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Miscellaneous Cases, 1872-1921
Control #:
SSV00027
Format:
2 c.f. (4 boxes)
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Dismissed Cases, 1848
Control #:
SSV00028
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Miscellaneous Records, 1705-1890
Control #:
SSV00029
Format:
9.5 c.f. (19 boxes)
Arrangement:
By year

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Powers of Attorney, Revocations and other Attorney Records, ca. 1938-1980
Control #:
SSV00030
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Book of Prescribed Formats for Court Documents, ca. 1775
Control #:
SSV00031
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)
Notes:
Spine labeled "Colonial Law Forms." Subject index included at end of volume. Attributed to Supreme Court, but this is not certain.

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Miscellaneous Publications, 1947-1991
Control #:
SSV00032
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
Includes: Draft Rules Governing New Jersey Courts, 1947; Handbook of Attorneys, 1959; State of Attorney Disciplinary System, 1991.

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Clerk's Office
Oaths of Attorneys, Justices, etc. [Attorneys Rolls], 1787-1947
Control #:
SSVCL001
Format:
3.5 c.f. (7 boxes, 5 map folders)
Notes:
Also includes oaths of Attorneys General and Supreme Court Clerks, 1815-1892.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Clerk's Office
Docketed Decrees of the Orphans and Prerogative Courts, 1907-1948
Control #:
SSVCL003
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological by filing date


Related records:


Series:
Atlantic County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Rough Minutes, 1874-1905
Control #:
CATCL006
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Burlington County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Case Papers, 1807-1903
Control #:
CBUCL027
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
Series contains papers for scattered years only.

Series:
Camden County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Judgments, Volume B, 1922-1953
Control #:
CCDCL013
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Cape May County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Docket of Judgments in the Circuit Court and Court of Common Pleas, No. 1, 1859-1964
Control #:
CCPCL015
Format:
0.5 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological by filing date

Series:
Cumberland County
Clerk's Office
Papers relating to Supreme Court Cases, 1761-1894
Control #:
CCUCL003
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
Consists of records for scattered years only.

Series:
Hunterdon County
Clerk's Office
List of Causes Noticed for Trial, 1856-1874
Control #:
CHNCL029
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 booklet)
Notes:
Includes cases in the Supreme Court, Circuit Court and Court of Common Pleas.

Series:
Hunterdon County
Clerk's Office
Rough Court Minutes, 1860-1925
Control #:
CHNCL031
Format:
1.25 c.f. (3 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes minutes of the Supreme Court, Circuit Court, Court of Common Pleas and Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace.

Series:
Hunterdon County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Minutes, 1854-1880
Control #:
CHNCL032
Format:
0.25 c.f. (2 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
The second volume includes an 1860 list of peddler's licenses.

Series:
Hunterdon County
Sheriff William J. Poulson
Executions and Record Book, 1893-ca. 1899
Control #:
CHNSH001
Format:
0.6 c.f. (3 vols.)
Notes:
The second volume includes exections for the Supreme, Common Pleas and Circuit Courts.

Series:
Mercer County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Partitions of Real Estate, 1798-1900
Control #:
CMECL013
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Cost Dockets of Enoch S. Fogg, 1870-1899
Control #:
CSACL017
Format:
0.5 c.f. (2 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Fogg was a Special Master and Examiner in Chancery and a Supreme Court Commissioner; filed with the clerk's office 15 June 1927.

Series:
Union County
Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Case Papers, 1860-1933
Control #:
CUNCL012
Format:
2 c.f. (2 boxes)

Series:
Governor Brendan Thomas Byrne (1924- ; served 1974-1982)
Counsel's Office
Judicial Appointment Files, ca. 1974-1983
Control #:
S53CO010
Format:
10 c.f. (10 boxes)
Arrangement:
Various
Notes:
Box nos. G-1656 through G-1665. Includes reappointments, prosecutor appointments, and Supreme Court general files.
Restrictions:
Restricted as per paragraph 4 of Gov. Byrne's access guidelines

Series:
New Jersey State Archives
Petitions of Insolvent Debtors, 1747-1818
Control #:
SNJSA015
Format:
1 c.f. (3 vols.)
Arrangement:
By county, then chronological
Notes:
Includes petitions to the Legislature and to the Supreme Court. Consult index at the end of Volume 3.

Series:
New Jersey State Archives
Petitions for Naturalization, 1749-1810
Control #:
SNJSA016
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 vol.)
Notes:
Includes petitions to both the Supreme Court and the Legislature. Consult name index in Search Room. Some items formerly AM Papers.

Series:
Department of State
Secretary of State's Office
Supreme Court Recommendations for Attorney's Licenses, 1883-1902
Control #:
SSTSE017
Format:
3 c.f. (6 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological


~ The collections listed on this page represent 913.35 c.f. of paper records and 668.5 reels of microfilm ~



To contact the New Jersey State Archives about research, reference services, records transfers or donations, please email us at njarchives@sos.nj.gov


For additional and/or more recent records relating to this topic, contact:


Superior Court Records Management Center, 171 Jersey Street, PO Box 967, Trenton, NJ 06255-0967, tel. 609-777-0092


This page last updated 05/17/2006