In May 2021, the New Jersey Supreme Court announced it would dismiss minor, unresolved municipal court cases that are more than 27 years old. Specifically, if your driver’s license was suspended for failing to appear in court prior to January 1, 1994, and the license suspension was still active on May 21, 2021, your case will be dismissed. Even though your case is dismissed and the license suspension withdrawn, you will still need to follow the Motor Vehicle Commission’s procedures for restoring your license, such as payment of restoration fees, before you can drive.

What kinds of offenses are included?

This order includes parking offenses, motor vehicle offenses, municipal ordinances, and other minor municipal matters. For these dismissed matters, all driver’s license suspensions will be lifted, and, if an arrest warrant had been issued, it will be cancelled. The court’s order does not dismiss more serious municipal court cases, such as driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

Where can I get more information?

The Judiciary has created a webpage to assist the public in identifying what matters are included in this dismissal order: See Supreme Court Dismisses Thousands of Old Cases and License Suspensions.

It includes:

• A database that can be searched for a particular case;
• Details on charges that are included in the order and a list of charges that are not included;
• A set of frequently asked questions; and
• An explanation of how an individual can, if necessary, contact the Motor Vehicle Commission to restore a suspended license.

Visit the Criminal Charges and Convictions for more information about your rights in criminal cases, expungement, and reentry, or contact our statewide toll-free hotline if you have a civil, legal problems at 1-888-LSNJ-LAW (1-888-576-5529) or online at www.lsnjlawhotline.org. ​​​

This information last reviewed: Apr 7, 2023