Bankruptcy laws are Federal. Therefore, the New Jersey Bankruptcy Courts are located in the federal courthouse, not the County Courthouse. There are three bankruptcy courthouses in New Jersey, one in Trenton, the second in Camden and the third in Newark. Each courthouse is located in a separate “vicinage.” There are three vicinages, Camden, Trenton and Newark. There addresses are as follows:

• 401 Market Street
  Second Floor
  Camden, NJ 08101
• 402 East State Street
  Trenton NJ, 08608
• 50 Walnut Street
  3rd Floor
  Newark, NJ 07102

New Jersey bankruptcy lawyers that file numerous cases must file documents with court electronically. There are strict procedures regarding the filing process and any attorney who files electronically must complete the court certification class. In addition to filing electronically, the bankruptcy attorneys are required to notify all parties with legal documents by regular mail, pursuant to the federal rules of court. Of course, any pro se debtor or attorney handling few matters may file their papers directly with the court.

NJ Bankruptcy Court Vicinages

The vicinage as to where a resident must file their case, is based on the location of their residence.

Camden, NJ Vicinage

If you reside in the following counties, your bankruptcy petition must be filed in the Camden vicinage:

• Atlantic
• Cape May
• Salem
• Cumberland
• Camden
• Gloucester

The Camden Vicinage also includes the following townships of Burlington County:

• Delran
• Edgewater Park
• Evesham
• Cinnaminson
• Maple Shade
• Moorestown
• Mt. Laurel
• Palmyra
• Riverside
• Riverton

Trenton, NJ Vicinage

If you reside in the following counties, your bankruptcy petition must be filed in the Trenton vicinage:

• Mercer
• Middlesex
• Hunterdon
• Monmouth
• Somerset
• Ocean
• Burlington county (Excluding the above listed townships that must file in Camden)

Newark, NJ Vicinage

If you reside in the following counties, your bankruptcy petition must be filed in the Newark vicinage:

• Union
• Bergen
• Essex
• Passaic
• Sussex
• Warren
• Hudson
• Morris

NJ Bankruptcy Court Judges

Each bankruptcy court vicinage has a specific number of judges that are assigned cases. Typically, if a debtor filed a prior bankruptcy case, the subsequent case will be assigned to the same judge.

The following two judges are assigned cases in the Camden vicinage: Honorable Andrew B. Altenburg and Honorable Jerrold N. Poslusny Jr. This means that a debtor filing in the Camden vicinage will be assigned to either Judge Altenburg or Judge Poslusny.

The following three judges are assigned to handle cases in the Trenton Vicinage: Honorable Kathryn C. Ferguson; Michael B. Kaplan; and, Christine M. Gravelle. A debtor who files a case in the Trenton vicinage will be assigned to one of these three judges.

The judges assigned to cases filed in the Newark vicinage will be assigned to one of the following four judges: Honorable Rosemary Gambardella; Honorable Vincent F. Papalia; Honorable Stacey L. Meisel; and Honorable John K. Sherwood.

NJ Chapter 13 Bankrupty Trustees

Camden, NJ Vicinage

The are only three New Jersey Chapter 13 trustees in the entire state. All New Jersey residents filing Bankruptcy petitions in the Camden vicinage will be assigned the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee, Isabel Balboa, whose office is located at 535 Route 38, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002. The majority of the first bankruptcy hearings named the 341(a) hearing or the Meeting of Creditors is typically scheduled at Ms. Balboa’s Cherry Hill office However, due to Covid 19, the hearings are conducted by way of the telephone. For individuals who reside in Atlantic County, Cape May County, Egg Harbor, or Mays Landing, the court will typically schedule the hearings in 1423 Tilton Road, Northfield, NJ.

Trenton, NJ Vicinage

All New Jersey Chapter 13 filings in the Trenton vicinage will be assigned to the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee, Albert Russo. All Meeting of Creditors for Albert Russo will be scheduled in his Robbinsville office: 1 AAA Drive • Suite 101 Robbinsville, NJ 08691. However, his hearings are presently conducted through “Zoom”.

Newark, NJ Vicinage

All chapter 13 filings in the Newark vicinage will be assigned to the Chapter 13 Standing Trustee, Marie Ann Greenberg. All Meeting of Creditors for Marie Ann Greenberg will be scheduled at the following address, which is not the Newark Courthouse: One Newark Center, Suite 1401, Newark, NJ. However, presently, the hearings are conducted by telephone.

NJ Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trusties

Trenton, NJ Vicinage

The following chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees are assigned to cases that are filed at the bankruptcy court, Trenton vicinage:

• Bunce D. Atkinson
• Karen E. Bezner
• Andrea Dobin
• Barry W. Frost
• Theodore Liscinski, Jr.
• John M. McDonnell, III
• Thomas J. Orr.
• Barry R. Sharer
• Peggy E. Stalford
• Daniel E. Straffi.
• Newark, NJ Vicinage

The following chapter 7 trustees are assigned to cases that are filed at the bankruptcy court, Newark vicinage:

• Catherine E. Youngman
• Daniel J. Yablonsky
• David A. Wolff
• Robert B. Wasserman
• John W. Sywilok
• Benjamin A. Stanziale, Jr.
• Charles A. Stanziale
• Eric R. Perkins
• Michael I. Okechuku
• Joseph J. Newman
• Stacey L. Meisel
• Jay L. Lubetkin
• Jeffrey A. Lester
• Jonathan Kohn
• Steven P. Kartzman
• Gary S. Jacobson
• Nancy Isaacson
• Charles M. Forman
• Barbara A. Edwards
• Nicholas J. Delzotti
• Donald V. Biase

Camden, NJ Vicinage

The following trustees are assigned to cases that are filed at the  Camden vicinage:

• John A. Casarow, Jr.
• Brian S. Thomas
• Thomas J. Subranni
• Andrew S. Sklar
• Linda L. McMackin
• Joseph D. Marchand
• John W. Hargrave
• Douglas S. Stanger

Contacting a Bankruptcy Lawyer

If you need assistance with the New Jersey bankruptcy court process, you should contact Robert Manchel, Esq., who is an experienced bankruptcy lawyer. His office telephone number is 1(866) 503-5655