Hughes Justice Complex, Trenton, New Jersey/photo by Carmen Natale

With the New Jersey Supreme Court recently mandating training for all state court judges to better handle sex assault and other sensitive issues, a daylong session will close state courtrooms later this month.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner issued an order scheduling the "Judiciary Enhanced Education and Training Initiative" for judges to take place on Monday, Oct. 28.

While the courts will remain open for all other matters, including the filing of cases, Rabner said there will be no Superior Court proceedings, such as pretrial detention hearings, conducted that day, which will be treated as a weekend day or legal holiday.

Only "emergent matters" will be handled by designated emergent duty judges that day, Rabner said. Supreme Court justices, Tax Court judges and Appellate Division judges are all required to undergo the training.

Municipal courts will not be affected.

"Whereas on Monday, October 28, 2019 all Superior Court judges will be participating in the mandatory full-day educational conference referenced in Directive #14-19 (along with all Supreme Court justices, Appellate Division judges, and Tax Court judges) as part of the 'Judiciary Enhanced Education and Training Initiative'; and Whereas there thus will be no Superior Court proceedings conducted on that day other than emergent matters (which will be handled by the designated emergent duty judges), though the courts will remain open for all other purposes, including the filing of matters," read the order, dated Monday.

Judge Glenn Grant, acting administrative director of the courts, issued a notice appending the order. "For purposes of N.J.S.A. 2A:162-9d(1), Monday, October 28, 2019 shall be deemed as not being a 'working day' and instead shall be treated for those purposes the same as a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday," Grant wrote in the notice, dated Tuesday.

Directive #14-19, issued last July 17, announced the training program to focus on enhancing the "existing training for judges in the areas of sexual assault, domestic violence, implicit bias, and diversity." The initiative included incorporating a "mandatory full-day educational conference."

The directive came amid uproar over state court judges' handling of sexual assault cases.

In one such case, the state Supreme Court on July 17 announced it would consider the removal of Superior Court Judge John Russo Jr. from the bench for ethics violations in allegedly asking a rape victim if she tried to block her body parts or close her legs during the assault. That same day, Rabner issued a lengthy statement that, in part, announced that enhanced training for judges in dealing with sexual assault and domestic violence would be mandated.