Union Township Municipal Court – What To Know

Reviewed by William A. Proetta, Esq. · Updated November 2026

Union Township Municipal Court is at 981 Caldwell Avenue, Union, NJ 07083, and it holds daytime sessions Monday through Thursday at 9:00 a.m. plus evening sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Four judges share the bench, and the court hears traffic and DWI cases, disorderly persons offenses and township ordinance violations that arise in Union Township, Union County. With more than 30,000 criminal and traffic filings in the latest state year, not counting parking tickets, it is among the highest-volume municipal courts in the county. If you have a case here, call (908) 838-0150 for a free consultation; we take calls 24/7 and speak Spanish.

Union Township Criminal Defense Lawyer

In a court that processes tens of thousands of matters a year, it is easy for a defendant to feel like a number. A conviction for a disorderly persons offense, a DWI or a suspended-license charge still has very personal consequences: a record, possible jail exposure, license loss and higher insurance premiums. Our attorneys at William Proetta Criminal Law handle cases on Caldwell Avenue and in courthouses across Union County, from Elizabeth to Summit.

Why Union Township Clients Call Us

• Night court three times a week. Union’s 6:00 p.m. sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays can make it easier to appear without losing a full workday.
• The DWI count is rising fast. Union Township DWI filings jumped from 222 to 274 in one year. We examine the stop, the field sobriety tests and the Alcotest data on every one.
• Parkway and Route 22 stops land here. Some people ticketed in Union were only passing through on the Garden State Parkway, Route 22 or I-78, and a lawyer can often handle much of the case without repeated trips back.
• Several prosecutors, several judges. We know how to work within a court with three municipal prosecutors and four judges, and how to get a plea offer in front of the right person.

Four Judges, Three Prosecutors and Evening Court

Union Township staffs its court more like a small city than a suburb. The township lists the following team:

• Judges: Jonathan H. Rosenbluth, Suzette Cavadas, Jennifer Berlinski and Kirk Nelson. Judge Rosenbluth additionally sits as the municipal judge for Springfield and for Kenilworth.
• Prosecutors: Chief Prosecutor Michael Wittenberg, with Drew Bauman and Stefen Irwin.
• Public defenders: Chief Public Defender William Strazza, with Jeffrey Cohen and Manuel Grova.
• Administration: Court Administrator Pat Nasta, a Certified Court Administrator, reachable at pnasta@uniontownship.com.
• Two phone lines: the township lists both (908) 851-5400 and (908) 557-5939 for the court.

Don’t Confuse This Court With Union Township in Hunterdon County

New Jersey has more than one “Union” municipal court. A different Union Township, in Hunterdon County, has its own separate municipal court. If your ticket was written in Union Township, Union County, near Kean University, the Parkway or Route 22, your case belongs at 981 Caldwell Avenue (court code 2019). Paying or calling the wrong court can lead to a missed date.

What Union Township’s Court Numbers Mean

Union Township Municipal Court handled 30,843 criminal and traffic matters in the July 2025 to June 2026 period, roughly 5% more than 29,264 the year before, per state Judiciary data. Indictable complaints jumped to 1,719 from 1,189; those charges proceed to Superior Court unless a downgrade keeps them in the township. Disorderly and petty disorderly persons complaints totaled 1,817. DWI filings rose about 23%, from 222 to 274. Moving violations made up 26,170, about 85%.

The court resolved 31,517 cases, a 102% clearance rate, so it finished more than it took in and chipped away at older files. Even so, June 2026 ended with 2,868 cases in backlog and 5,543 actively pending. Four judges and evening sessions three nights a week give Union Township unusual capacity for a docket this size. The township’s 12,608 parking tickets fall outside these totals. A busy court’s numbers speak to throughput, not to what any one defendant can expect.

How Hearings Work in Union Township

Union Township combines in-person sessions with online options for certain tickets.

• Day or evening calendar. Daytime court starts at 9:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday; evening court starts at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Your notice says which one applies.
• Union Virtual Municipal Court. The township says some tickets can be heard in its virtual court rather than in the courtroom.
• Online Municipal Case Resolution. Certain moving violations can be disputed through NJMCdirect’s Case Dispute feature. A prosecutor reviews the request and makes a recommendation.
• Office and window hours differ. Staff in the court office work 8 a.m.–4 p.m. on weekdays, but the violations window shuts an hour earlier, at 3 p.m., and both close on holidays.

What Cases Does Union Township Municipal Court Handle?

From Parkway fender-benders to township code complaints, this court’s authority reaches motor vehicle offenses (DWI included), petty disorderly and disorderly persons charges, and local ordinances. Charges that fill the Union calendar:

Criminal and Disorderly Persons Offenses

• Shoplifting at Route 22 stores, under 2C:20-11
• Low-value property taken without paying, under $200, treated as theft, under 2C:20-3
• Fights at home, at work or near campus, charged as simple assault, under 2C:12-1(a)
• Fighting, threats or unreasonable noise in public, charged as disorderly conduct, under 2C:33-2
• Threatening or alarming messages, charged as harassment, under 2C:33-4
• Items for using drugs found in a vehicle, charged as paraphernalia, under 2C:36-2

DWI and Traffic Offenses

• Arrests after Parkway or Route 22 stops for Union Township DWI, under 39:4-50
• Crashes blamed on inattention, written as careless driving, under 39:4-97
• Refusing to provide breath samples at police headquarters — refusal, under 39:4-50.4a
• Operating a car with no liability policy in force — no insurance, under 39:6B-2
• Driving during an active suspension — suspended license, under 39:3-40

Union Township contains Garden State Parkway interchanges 139A/B, 140/140A and 141, along with stretches of I-78, Route 22 and Route 82 (Morris Avenue). Traffic stops on those roads, around the Route 22 retail corridor, and near Kean University and the Union train station feed this court’s moving-violation docket.

Paying or Contesting a Union Township Ticket

The township says issued tickets can be paid online, and the violations window takes payments weekdays until 3:00 p.m.

• Check for “court appearance required.” A summons with that marking cannot be closed out by payment, whatever the online system allows.
• A paid ticket is a conviction. Union Township will record your payment as a guilty plea, and the MVC applies points and any surcharge from there.
• Try the dispute route or a lawyer first. The online Case Dispute option and attorney negotiation can both lead to an amended charge, but neither is possible once you have paid.
• Union has three public defenders. If you cannot afford private counsel, ask the court for an application; eligibility depends on income.

Preparing for Your Court Date

• Note whether you’re on the 9:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. list, and plan for a wait on a busy evening calendar.
• Make sure the summons says Union County and court code 2019 before you call or pay.
• Bring your license, registration and insurance card, along with any photos or repair receipts that support your side.
• Ask for a postponement well ahead of time, using the phone number on your notice, and keep proof it was granted.
• Let your attorney approach the prosecutor; plea talks go better through counsel.

When a Union Township Charge Leaves Municipal Court

An indictable complaint signed by Union Township police, such as possession of a controlled dangerous substance, burglary, aggravated assault or theft over $200, goes up to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, and any prosecution takes place in the county’s Superior Court in Elizabeth. Prosecutors sometimes downgrade these and send them back to Caldwell Avenue as disorderly persons offenses. Eligible defendants can apply for Pretrial Intervention or pursue another diversionary option designed to keep a conviction off their record.

Nearby Courts

Bordering courts include Hillside, Elizabeth, Roselle Park, Kenilworth and Springfield. Millburn, Maplewood and Irvington in Essex County are also next door and have their own courts. Notices and the staff list are posted on the township’s official court site.

Union Township Municipal Court FAQs

Talk to a Union Township Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Day list or night list, walking into Caldwell Avenue prepared makes a difference. Dial (908) 838-0150 and we’ll evaluate your Union Township case free of charge and in confidence. Phones are answered at all hours, se habla español, and meetings can be by phone, by video link, or in person, whichever is easiest for you.