East Greenwich Municipal Court
Important!
Please read carefully the information on the Traffic Ticket and Summons issued to you by the Police Officer. All information pertaining to your court appearance is contained on the Traffic Ticket and Summons. If after thoroughly reading your Traffic Ticket and Summons, you determine that a court appearance is NOT required and you further determine that you wish to plead guilty and give up your rights to have a lawyer and a trial, please follow the detailed procedure on the back of your Traffic Ticket and Summons for sending payments. If you have more questions about the Municipal Court System, contact us.
For on-line information and payment options, log on to: NJMCdirect.com.
Contact Court
Phone: (856) 423-3010
Fax: (856) 423-6666
court@eastgreenwichnj.com
If you are trying to reach the court office when the court is in session on Mondays, we will not be able to answer our phones so please send us an email to court@eastgreenwichnj.com. We will reply back to your message as soon as possible.
Municipal Court Judge
Martin Whitcraft
What should I expect when I go to court?
Prior to entering the courtroom, please turn off or silence your phone or pager.
When you get to court, check in with court staff.
Listen to instructions from court staff and from the judge. The proceedings are sound recorded, so please remain quiet until it is your time to speak.
The judge will give an opening statement explaining court procedures, defendants’ rights and penalties.
Cases are usually called in the following order:
Requests for postponements
Uncontested motions
First arraignments
Guilty pleas
Contested motions
Pleas of not guilty with an attorney
Pleas of not guilty without an attorneyA case may be postponed to give you time to obtain representation by a private attorney or by a public defender if you qualify and prepare your defense. If you need a postponement, ask the court staff for assistance.
If your case involves a dispute between you and another person, you may be required to participate in a discussion with a mediator to attempt to settle the dispute without going in front of the judge.
Do I need to appear in court if I choose to plead guilty and pay the fine?
If the “Court Appearance Required” box has not been checked on the complaint and if the charge is listed on either the Statewide Violations Bureau Schedule or the Local Violations Bureau Schedule, you may pay the fine without appearing in court. The Statewide Violations Bureau Schedule is a list of state offenses that may be paid without going to court. The Local Violations Schedule is a list of municipal ordinances that may be paid without going to court. You can pay your fine at the court’s payment window, by mail or by going to NJMCdirect.com. If you pay without going to court, you will be pleading guilty and giving up your right to a lawyer and your right to a trial.
Court appearances are always required in criminal matters.