Judges Juggle Over 2,700 Cases Each as Families Wait for Day in Court
Short-handed and deluged by complex cases, New Jersey’s federal court is in a crisis. The backlog of cases has only gotten worse in the pandemic.
The federal courthouse in Newark. Federal judges in New Jersey handle caseloads that are more than three times the national average.Credit.Bryan Anselm for The New York Times
March 17, 2021
Phillip White, an unarmed Black man, died in police custody in New Jersey six years ago. After the Vineland, N.J., officers involved in the encounter were cleared by a grand jury and their own department, Mr. White’s family filed a $10 million wrongful-death lawsuit in federal court, accusing one officer of using excessive force.