Frequently Asked Questions

This database contains over 18,000 New Jersey civil court cases and 6,900+ GRC (Government Records Council) complaints. The court data comes from the NJ Judiciary's ACMS system, and GRC complaints are scraped from the public GRC decision database.

GRC complaint data is updated daily via automated scraping. Court case data is from a snapshot obtained through a formal data request to the NJ Judiciary. The data freshness indicator at the top of most pages shows when the data was last updated.

Yes! Visit the Download page to access all data in JSON or CSV formats. We provide complete datasets as well as filtered versions (OPRA cases only, government entities only, etc.). The data is free to use with attribution to NJFOG.

Entity matching is performed algorithmically using name normalization and fuzzy matching. While we strive for accuracy, some entities may be incorrectly merged or split. Government agency names are generally more reliable than individual names. See our Methodology page for details.

Cases are classified as OPRA-related using multiple signals: case type codes (802 for "Open Public Records"), OPRA keywords in case titles, known frequent requesters, and government defendants. Cases scoring above a threshold are flagged as OPRA cases.

The Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.) is New Jersey's public records law. It grants citizens the right to access government records, with certain exemptions. Public agencies must respond to requests within 7 business days.

Any person can make an OPRA request. You do not need to be a New Jersey resident or provide a reason for your request. However, requesters must provide their name and address.

Common exemptions include: personnel records, criminal investigatory records, attorney-client privileged communications, trade secrets, records that would jeopardize security, and records specifically exempted by other statutes. See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1 for the full list.

The 2024 amendments made several changes including modifications to fee-shifting provisions, new exemptions for certain records, changes to commercial requester rules, and updated response time requirements. Visit our OPRA 2024 Analysis page for detailed information.

Agencies can charge for copying costs (currently $0.05/page for letter-size paper copies). They can also charge for special service charges if the request requires extraordinary time or effort. However, inspection of records is free.

The Government Records Council is an independent state agency that adjudicates disputes between records requesters and public agencies. It provides a free alternative to filing a lawsuit when records are denied.

You can file a Denial of Access Complaint with the GRC within 45 days of receiving a denial. The process is free. Visit nj.gov/grc for complaint forms and instructions.

GRC cases can take anywhere from a few months to several years depending on complexity, backlog, and whether mediation is successful. The GRC attempts to resolve simpler cases quickly through informal mediation.

Yes. GRC final decisions can be appealed to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court within 45 days. You should consult with an attorney about the appeals process.

The GRC process is free and does not require an attorney, but it can be slow and the GRC cannot award attorney fees. Superior Court litigation is faster in some cases and allows for fee-shifting if you prevail, but requires filing fees and typically an attorney.

A docket number is a unique identifier for each case. In New Jersey, civil cases use formats like L-001234-24 (Law Division) or DJ-001234-24 (Special Civil Part). The number includes the venue, sequence number, and year.

Case type codes indicate the nature of the case. Common ones include: 802 (Open Public Records/OPRA), 701 (Action in Lieu of Prerogative Writ), 005 (Civil Rights), 003 (Contracts). See the Analytics page for a breakdown of all case types.

The source data from the NJ Judiciary uses fixed-width fields, which truncates long party names. We attempt to complete truncated names where possible, but some names remain incomplete.

This database contains civil cases only, not criminal, family, or municipal court cases. Some cases are also marked confidential under court rules and are not included. Additionally, very recent cases may not yet be in our data snapshot.

Use the search bar at the top of any page or press Cmd/Ctrl+K to open the command palette. You can search by docket number, party name, or keywords. Use the Cases page for advanced filtering by date, venue, and case type.

Press ? on any page to see available keyboard shortcuts. Common shortcuts include Cmd/Ctrl+K for search, G then H for home, G then C for cases, and G then G for GRC complaints.

Please cite as: "NJ Foundation for Open Government Court Data Project, data.njfog.org" with the access date. For academic use, include the data version/date from the Download page.