MILLVILLE, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A group of Black and Latino legislators in Trenton have responded to findings from an investigation into alleged racial and ethnic discrimination in the Millville Municipal Court System.
Late last year, a Millville Municipal Court judge made a bias complaint, saying that Latino defendants in his court were routinely directed to appear in person for their cases and not given the option of appearing virtually.
Following the release of the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts investigation into the allegation, members of the New Jersey legislative Latino and Black caucuses said, "it appears that the investigation did not find direct evidence showing the Millville Municipal Court System purposefully or intentionally treated Latino defendants disparately in their offering of virtual or in-person hearings."
They noted, though, that the report did identify some potential barriers, common throughout the New Jersey judicial system, that make the courtroom experience more difficult than it needs to be for people who don’t speak fluent English.
"While the policy changes proposed in this report are a step in the right direction, these commonsensical changes also compel us to question why these critical services are not already being offered to New Jersey’s residents," they wrote in a joint letter.
Related
They say the next step is to review a forthcoming report from the Division on Civil Rights' independent investigation into the matter.
The lawmakers say they remain committed to ensuring these issues are addressed quickly, because every resident of New Jersey deserves fair and equal treatment in all levels of government.