NJ S3635

Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court must annually assign at least three Superior Court judges to each of three geographic regions (Northern, Central, and Southern) by the Tuesday after Columbus Day to handle election recount and contest cases

Judges act individually rather than as panels, with cases assigned to the next available judge in the relevant region regardless of which specific county the dispute originates from

All election recount and contest matters must be resolved before the winning candidate assumes office or the governing body reorganizes, with initial hearings required within 36 hours of filing

Chief Justice has discretion to adjust county assignments between contiguous regions and determine the number of judges per region based on population, historical recount volume, and voter turnout

Regional assignments and judge names must be published annually on the Judiciary Branch's official website