Significant Ruling for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse in New Jersey Supreme Court
After the Catholic Diocese of Camden tried to block clergy child sexual abuse case proceedings for years, the diocese has finally backed down, and New Jersey Supreme Court rules in favor of holding a grand jury to further examine these types of sex abuse allegations.
On June 16th, 2025, a major decision was made in New Jersey Supreme Court after years of arguments and efforts to block investigations into the Catholic Church concerning allegations of clergy sexual abuse against minors. The Diocese of Camden has long stood behind a court rule that bars the state Attorney General from convening a grand jury to present findings of child sex abuse allegations. However, in early May, all of that changed when the Church stated they would no longer oppose the rule. The seven-member Supreme Court decided to uphold the New Jersey’s Attorney General’s view that there was nothing stop the State from pursuing a grand jury presentment (a formal report of the grand jury’s findings).
The decision comes after the Diocese of Camden was taken over by a new bishop, Joseph Williams, a few months ago. He met with stakeholders of the church who came to a unanimous decision to end the Church’s opposition to the grand jury. The decision is being widely praised by survivors and the New Jersey Attorney General’s office as the Church says it remains committed to supporting survivors and cooperating with the effort.
In 2018, the New Jersey Attorney General to announce an investigation into the allegations of abuse after a similar investigation in Pennsylvania revealed decades of abuse of over 1000 children. However, New Jersey’s inquiry never fully became public due to the continuing legal battle with the Camden Diocese. Indeed, earlier this year, previously unreported documents showed that the diocese had tried to stop a grand jury form being formed, and showed that the Diocese of Camden challenged the state’s authority to empanel a grand jury to lead the inquiry.
The years-long battle between the Diocese of Camden and the State Attorney General was settled on June 16th when the New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said in his ruling, that a lower court ruling for the diocese should have followed proper procedures by allowing the grand jury to proceed, at least until it had submitted a presentment on its findings.
This is a positive step towards justice for New Jersey survivors and accountability for their perpetrators.
