The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the state may proceed with a long-delayed grand jury investigation into decades of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
The unanimous decision allows the Attorney General’s office to present evidence to a special grand jury and publish its findings through a presentment.
“We find that the State has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury,” Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote. The court rejected arguments that the grand jury process was inappropriate for investigating conduct by private individuals.
The decision marks a turning point in a years-long legal battle between the state and the Diocese of Camden, which had previously succeeded in blocking the probe in lower courts. Those proceedings remained sealed until recently.
The Diocese of Camden reversed its position in May, with Bishop Joseph Williams stating the church would no longer oppose the investigation. “To the victims and all those impacted by abuse, we reaffirm our sorrow, our support, and our unwavering resolve to do what is right, now and always,” the diocese said in a statement.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office first announced the investigation in 2018 following public accusations against former Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. A Pennsylvania grand jury report released that same year detailing abuse by more than 300 priests prompted the New Jersey inquiry.
Documents unsealed earlier this year show the state’s clergy abuse hotline received over 550 calls, spanning claims from the 1940s to recent years.
Lower courts had blocked the grand jury, citing concerns about targeting private individuals. The state Supreme Court rejected those findings.
Mark Crawford, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in New Jersey, called the ruling a “monumental victory.”
In 2022, the Camden diocese agreed to an $87.5 million settlement with about 300 accusers, one of the largest such settlements in U.S. history.
A trial court judge will still review any presentment before it is made public.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.