Is the Palisades Interstate Court a Municipal Court?

Yes, the Palisades Interstate Court (Court Code: 0288) is a municipal court, but the Court is different than a traditional municipal court in the State of New Jersey. The Court is officially called Court of the Palisades Interstate Park (N.J.S.A. 32:14-22). The Court hears matters that are alleged to have occurred within the New Jersey section of the Palisades Interstate Park (N.J.S.A. 32:14-23). The Park includes 12 miles of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, which begins near the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee and proceeds north along the cliffs of the Hudson River through Englewood Cliffs, Tenafly, and Alpine. The Court is primarily responsible for hearing cases that are filed by police officers from the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department instead of police officers from local towns or municipalities. The Court is located in Borough of Alpine, but is unrelated to the Alpine Municipal Court (Court Code: 0202). The Court is also unrelated to the Palisades Park Municipal Court (Court Code: 0245), which is located in the nearby Borough of Palisades Park.

The Palisades Interstate Court hears quasi-criminal matters (N.J.S.A. 32:14-23), including Operating Under Influence of Liquor or Drugs (DUI-DWI) and Refusal to Submit to a Breathalyzer, criminal matters such as disorderly persons offenses and petty disorderly persons offenses, serious motor vehicle and traffic offenses such as Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Driving With a Suspended License, and Reckless Driving. In addition, the Court also hears cases that allege violations of the Park rules and regulations established by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (N.J.S.A. 32:14-23). Accordingly, a majority of the Court's matters involve traffic tickets that were issued on the Palisades Parkway by Palisades Parkway Police Officers for motor vehicle offenses, such as Unlicensed Operator (Park Ordinance 411.1C), Speeding (Park Ordinance 413.1B), Driving Too Close (Park Ordinance 411.1R), Failure to Pass Left When Overtaking (Park Ordinance 411.1T), Driving Carelessly (Park Ordinance 411.1W), Failure to Keep Right (Park Ordinance 411.1U), No Disregard of Traffic Signs and Signals (Park Ordinance 411.1Q), and Commercial Vehicle Not Permitted in Park (Park Ordinance 412.2A).

The information above is a brief overview of the Palisades Interstate Court. You should contact an experienced defense attorney who will explain all of your options and defenses based upon the specific circumstances of your case and work hard to reduce or avoid the potential negative consequences. All individuals accused of traffic offenses and other quasi-criminal offenses in New Jersey are entitled to the same constitutional protections as those accused of a serious felony crime, namely the right to be represented by an attorney, the right to remain silent, and the right to a speedy and fair trial where the State has the burden to prove each and every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.