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Township of Mansfield
100 Port Murray Road
Port Murray, NJ 07865
Phone: (908) 689-6151

If you have a question and are not sure whom to direct it to, contact questions@
mansfieldtownship-nj.gov

For comments and questions about the website, contact website@
mansfieldtownship-nj.gov

Shared Municipal Court
Mansfield Township,
Borough of Washington,
Washington Township,
Oxford Township Municipal Court

908-689-7066
908-689-9004 fax
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Court is held on:
1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month for Mansfield Township Sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m.
2nd and 4th Monday of each month for Washington Township at 9:00 a.m.,
Oxford Township at 11:00 a.m., and the Borough of Washington at 1:30 p.m.

J. Edward Palmer, Municipal Judge

STAFF
Jerilynn H. Harris, Court Administrator
Vera L. Hart, Deputy Court Administrator
Laura Moore, Deputy Court Administrator
Brett Morrow, Municipal Prosecutor
Steven Dunbar, Public Defender-Mansfield Township
Donald Farino, Public Defender-Washington Township
Scott M. Wilhelm, Public Defender-Oxford Township & Borough of Washington
Rosemarie Hoover, Violations Clerk
Judith Casella, Violations Clerk

To pay a Traffic Ticket online: ww.njmcdirect.com
(you will need to have the court I.D., the ticket number; and the vehicle tags)

FAQs about the Mansfield Township
&
Washington Township Municipal Court

Who is the judge?
Mansfield Township, Washington Township’s, Borough of Washington, and Oxford
Township Municipal Judge is J. Edward Palmer.

Who works for the Court?
The Court Administrator is Jerilynn H. Harris and the Deputy Court Administrators is
Vera L. Hart and Laura Moore. The Violations Clerks are, Rosemarie Hoover and Judith
Casella.

Who is the Prosecutor?
J. Brett Morrow, Esq.

Who is the Public Defender?
Steven Dunbar, Esq., for Mansfield Township Municipal Court
Donald Farino, Esq., for Washington Township Municipal Court
Scott M. Wilhelm, Esq., for Oxford Township and Borough of Washington

I need to talk to the Judge and/or the Prosecutor about my case
You may speak with the Prosecutor only on your court date. You may not call him prior
to your court date. The Judge is prohibited from speaking to either party prior to the
disposition of the case.

When are you open?
The Mansfield Twp., Washington Twp., Oxford Twp., and Borough of Washington Municipal
Court hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.

What is your mailing address and phone number?
Mansfield Township Municipal Court
100 Port Murray Road
Port Murray, NJ 07865
908-689-7066
908-689-9004 fax

When is my payment due?
The payment is due by the court date listed at the bottom of the ticket.

Who do I write my check to?
If you received a Mansfield Township ticket, make your check payable to Mansfield Township Municipal Court.
If you received a Washington Township ticket, make your check payable to Washington Township Municipal Court.
If you received a Oxford Township ticket, make your check payable to Oxford Township Municipal Court.
If you received a Washington Borough ticket, make your check payable to Washington Borough Municipal Court.

How much is this ticket?
The State Wide Violations Schedule lists all payable violations. You can access this list
by the internet at: www.njmcdirect.com., or you may call the court.

Can I pay by phone?
No

When do you have court?
1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month for Mansfield Township Sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m.
2nd and 4th Monday of each month for Washington Township at 9:00 a.m., Oxford Township
at 11:00 a.m., and the Borough of Washington at 1:30 p.m.

How many points does this ticket have?
Municipal Court Employees are prohibited from giving you this information. However,
if you access www.njmcdirect.com there is a listing of the points assessed for specific
violations by Motor Vehicle Commission.

Will this be reported to my insurance company?
A recorded of all moving violation is reported weekly to New Jersey Motor Vehicle
Commission. You may wish to contact your insurance carrier as to how point
information is relayed to them from the MVC.

I don’t have the full amount for this ticket. Can I pay in installments?
Partial payments cannot be accepted on payments received through the violations bureau.
In order to receive a partial payment agreement, you must appear in court. However, a
short extension period may be granted if you need additional time to pay the summons in
full.

When is my partial payment installment due?
Everyone’s due date is different. The due date is the date you appeared in court. For
example if you appeared on January 3rd, and you are making installments every month,
you payments are due on the 3rd of every month.

What happens if I don’t have the full payment or my payment is late?
Delinquent notices are generated each week for those accounts that are past due, or when a
payment is received that is less than the amount due. If your payments fails to “catch-up”
with the payment schedule, a delinquent notice will generate and be mailed to you. Failure
to maintain a partial payment agreement will result in suspension of your driving
privileges and/or a warrant for your arrest. Additional cost may be incurred.
I have several tickets, but only one of them is marked “Court Appearance

Required”, can I pay for the other tickets now?
When you appear in court to have your first appearance (to enter a plea), please request a
5A form from the court administrator. You will need to complete this form immediately so
it is presented to the Judge for a determination of your eligibility for a public defender.

I am not working right now; can I get a public defender?
Only the Judge can determine if you are eligible for the services of the public defender.
Your income is only one criteria that the Judge uses to determine your eligibility. The
Judge will review the charges against you in order to determine if a conviction of this
charge would result in a “Consequence of Magnitude”. If that possibility exists, the
Judge may appoint the Public Defender after reviewing the completed 5A form submitted
by the defendant.

What is a “Consequence of Magnitude”?
A conviction of an offense resulting in a “Consequence of Magnitude” would consist of:
1. Any sentence of imprisonment.
2. Any period of (a) driver’s license suspension, (b) suspension of the
defendant’s non-resident reciprocity privileges or (c) driver’s license
ineligibility; or
3. Any monetary sanction imposed by the court of $750.00 or greater in the
aggregate, except for any public defender application fee. A monetary
sanction is defined as the aggregate of any type of court imposed financial
obligation, including fine, cost, restitution, penalties and/or assessments.

I need to file a complaint, how do I do that?
The municipal court is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.,
to accept your filing of a complaint.

What charges can I make against this person?
Municipal court staff cannot help you in the preparation of your complaint. We can
advise you on how to complete the forms, but we cannot tell you what to put on them.
We will give you manuals to help you decide what charges to file, but we cannot tell you
what charge to file. You must understand that the Municipal Court must remain as a
neutral party and we are prohibited from saying anything that would constitute “legal
advice”.

When will this be scheduled for court?
It is Judge Palmer’s policy to refer all eligible citizen non-indictable complaints to the
“community Dispute Resolution Program” as a first step in resolution of any incident.

What kind of complaints won’t be referred to the Community Dispute Resolution
Program?
Any complaint that is indictable charge, a traffic violation or any complaint involving
domestic violence will not be referred to the community Dispute Resolution Program.
Any complaint signed by an officer cannot be referred to the Community Dispute
Resolution Program. All other complaints of Disorderly Persons and Petty Disorderly
offenses, as well as local violations will be referred to the Community Dispute Resolution
Program.

What is the Community Dispute Resolution Program?
Community Dispute Resolution Program is mediation; a forum with the participation of
local citizens, to resolve minor disputes between parties which would otherwise have to
be referred to the Municipal Court. The procedure results in the following:
1. It encourages citizen participation in local community problems.
2. It avoids the possibility of a defendant obtaining a criminal record which may
not be appropriate for a relatively minor infraction.
3. It provides a forum for the parties to mutually resolve their differences and to
shape a solution rather than impose a penalty.
4. It results in a better community and a better understanding of the judicial
system.

What if I don’t want to participate in the “Community Dispute Resolution
Program”?
Judge Palmer orders both parties in a conflict to attend the Community Dispute
Resolution Program. Should either party fail to appear, court sanctions may be imposed.

What happen at this Community Dispute Resolution Program?
Both parties meet together with a group of three mediators. Each side has approximately
15 minutes to present his/her side of the situation. The mediators try to work out an
amicable solution to the problem.

What happens if we don’t come to an agreement?
If the mediators are unable to help resolve the matter through an agreement between the
parties, it will be scheduled for another court date to appear before Judge Palmer.

What happens if we come to an agreement?
Judge Palmer will dismiss the summons.

What happens if he/she violates the agreement?
The original complaint would have been dismissed. You must file a new complaint with
the municipal court. This new complaint would not be referred to the Community Dispute
Resolution Program.

Download General information for the Shared Municipal Court PDF - 48.7 KB