Rules of Court · Part 5 · New Jersey
R. 5:6-3 New Jersey Rules of Court, R. 5:6-3: Hearing, rendered as code with every cross-reference linked
Hearing
(a) Generally. The court shall hear and determine the matter in a summary manner on the return day fixed in the process unless it is adjourned by or with the consent of the court. If the plaintiff does not attend the hearing, the court may dismiss the complaint, adjourn the matter to a future date and renotify the parties or take other appropriate action. On its own or a party's motion on good cause shown the court may order that the matter proceed in a plenary manner as it shall direct.
(b) Referral of child support. In any case in which custody, parenting time, or child support is at issue, any child support issues in the case shall not be referred to a hearing officer unless approved by the Family Presiding Judge.
Note: Source-R. (1969) 5:3-2 (third sentence), 5:5-1(a), (c). Adopted December 20, 1983, to be effective December 31, 1983; text redesignated as paragraph (a) with caption added, and new paragraph (b) adopted July 30, 2021 to be effective September 1, 2021.
Verbatim rule text, unmarked. Nothing here is a summary.
rule 5:6-3 "Hearing" {
(a) Generally. The court shall hear and determine the matter in a summary manner on the return day fixed in the process unless it is adjourned by or with the consent of the court. If the plaintiff does not attend the hearing, the court may dismiss the complaint, adjourn the matter to a future date and renotify the parties or take other appropriate action. On its own or a party's motion on good cause shown the court may order that the matter proceed in a plenary manner as it shall direct.
(b) Referral of child support. In any case in which custody, parenting time, or child support is at issue, any child support issues in the case shall not be referred to a hearing officer unless approved by the Family Presiding Judge.
Note: Source-R. (1969) 5:3-2 (third sentence), 5:5-1(a), (c). Adopted December 20, 1983, to be effective December 31, 1983; text redesignated as paragraph (a) with caption added, and new paragraph (b) adopted July 30, 2021 to be effective September 1, 2021.
}
referenced_by: none
source: njcourts.gov // verbatim; changed 2025-09-17; corpus harvested 2026-09-02← R. 5:6-2 · R. 5:6-4 → · chapter 5:6 · all rules
The Rules of Court are a government edict and carry no copyright; the text above is the Judiciary’s own publication, unchanged. Structure, links and highlighting are ours and carry no legal weight. Read the rule on njcourts.gov before you rely on it; amendments take effect each September 1.