Judiciary
of
the State
of
New Jersey
Policy Statement
on
Equal
Employment
Opportunity, Affirmative Action
and
Anti-Discrimination
The Chief Justice and Supreme Court of New Jersey declare the following
to
be the policy of the New Jersey Judiciary in order
to
ensure
equal opportunity for all Judiciary employees including judges and applicants for employment, and in order to ensure that all court users,
volunteers, attorneys, litigants, witnesses or others who come into contact with the court system are treated in a non-discriminatory
manner with civility, dignity, and respect. All who
seNe in the Judicial Branch are responsible for implementing this policy. Judges,
managers, and supeNisors are
to
take all necessary steps
to
ensure that each employee's work environment is free of
all
forms of
unlawful bias, harassment, and discrimination.
Policy on Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Anti-Discrimination
The New Jersey Judiciary is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and prohibits discrimination by those who work
for the Judiciary or those who come into contact with the courts. The New Jersey Judiciary promulgates this policy for implementation
throughout the court system and prohibits discrimination in
all
aspects of court operations and in hiring, promotion and terms and
conditions of employment on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin/nationality, ancestry, religion/religious practices or
obseNances, age, sex, pregnancy or breastfeeding, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation, marital status, civil
union status, domestic partnership status, disability or perceived disability, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information,
and status as a veteran or disabled veteran of, or liability for seNice
in,
the Armed Forces of the United States.
Accordingly, discrimination will not be tolerated whether it is practiced by judges, employees or non-employees, against court employees,
attorneys, litigants, witnesses or others who come into contact with the court system. Managerial and supeNisory personnel are required
to ensure adherence to and compliance with this policy and, upon being informed of possible discrimination or harassment covered
by
this policy, are required
to
take appropriate and immediate action in response thereto.
Overcoming Barriers
to Equal Opportunity
The Judiciary will continue to take appropriate action to remove barriers that may prevent minorities and women from full participation in
the Judiciary's workforce and full enjoyment of all of the privileges of employment. An important factor
in
evaluating management
performance is compliance with the Judiciary's policy of fair employment practices as embodied in the Judiciary's Master Plan for EEO/AA
and Anti-Discrimination ("Master Plan"). Management will periodically review Judiciary employment practices in order
to
ensure that all
applicants and employees and, in particular, persons who are members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged because of
discrimination are receiving fair and equal consideration for job opportunities. Affirmative efforts to ensure fairness will be undertaken
with respect to all employment practices, including but not limited
to:
recruitment, selection, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, discipline,
discharge, demotion, layoff, re-employment after layoff, job assignment, compensation, and fringe benefits.
Policy Against Racial/Ethnic, Religious
and
Other Forms
of
Bias, Harassment,
and
Hostile Work Environment
The Judiciary prohibits all forms of unlawful bias, harassment, and discrimination in
all
of
its operations, including humiliating or degrading
jokes, insults or comments about one's race, creed, color, national origin/nationality, ancestry, religion, age, disability or perceived
disability, sex, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation, or any other legally protected attribute. Harassment,
coercion or intimidation of any individual based on these or other legally protected attributes is strictly forbidden. This prohibition extends
to
workforce management, all aspects of employment practices, the processing and adjudication
of
cases,
and
all
programs, seNices
and activities of the Judiciary.
Policy Prohibiting Discrimination against Individuals with Disabilities
The Judiciary is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA}, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination
(NJLAD), and other applicable anti-discrimination statutes. The Judiciary
will
not discriminate against a court user, which includes litigants,
witnesses, victims, spectators, jurors, attorneys, agency representatives, volunteers, probationers and participants in court programs,
seNices and activities, on the basis of a disability regarding that individual's access
to
court proceedings, programs, seNices, and
activities. In addition, the Judiciary will not discriminate on the basis of disability against any job applicant or employee regarding the
terms, privileges, or conditions
of
employment. All Judiciary employees must remain qualified and able to perform the essential functions
of
the job, with reasonable accommodations where necessary. If a court user, qualified employee
or
job applicant believes that he/she
has been treated unfairly because
of
a disability, he/she may file a discrimination complaint as described in the section entitled "Filing a
Complaint."
Policy
on
Reasonable Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities
The Judiciary will provide a reasonable accommodation for court users, qualified employees and job applicants with a disability, provided
that the accommodation does not fundamentally alter the nature of a Judiciary program, seNice, or activity or impose an undue hardship
upon the Judiciary.
The Judiciary will provide a reasonable accommodation for court users with a disability, enabling the individual
to
access and participate
in court proceedings, programs, seNices and activities. A court
user
with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation by
contacting the Local Title
II
ADA Coordinator. A list of Local Title
II
ADA Coordinators can be found in the Judiciary's brochure, "The
New Jersey Judiciary's Title
II
ADA Procedures for Access to the Courts By Individuals with Disabilities," or on the Judiciary's website at
njcourts.com.
