THE COURTS OF NEW JERSEY

February 14, 2001

Letter to GSS Tours from ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS, STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Dear Mr. Pierron:

Your correspondence dated December 11, 2000, to Governor Christine Whitman and your letter of December 12, 2000, to the court administrator of the Atlantic City Municipal Court have been referred to the Municipal Court Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts for response.

In your correspondence you advised that you are the co-owner of GSS Tours, a bus company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Further, you advised that recently a Department of Transportation (DOT) agent filed a complaint against your company for a safety violation.  The complaint is scheduled to be heard by the Atlantic City Municipal Court.  As part of the preparation for your case you have included in your correspondence a number of interrogatories concerning the ticketing of buses.

Please be advised that this office does not have the authority to intervene or comment on pending or ongoing matters in municipal court nor does it have the authority to review or modify a judicial decision.  Upon the resolution of your case, if you believe that the court has erred in its judgment or sentence, your remedy rests with the appellate process.  This office cannot, of course, comment on the merits or timeliness of any action you might take in this regard.  You may, however, wish to contact an attorney who could be the more appropriate party to provide you with legal guidance.

In your correspondence we note that you also expressed concern about the actions of the Department of Transportation.  The Department of Transportation is part of the executive branch, therefore, any concerns you may have regarding that department should be directed to the Office of the Attorney General.  For your convenience, please be advised that this office is forwarding a copy of your correspondence to Ms. Regina Garb, Office of the Attorney General, Citizen Services and Relation (sic), P. O. Box 080, Trenton, New Jersey  080625 (sic again) for review and handling.

The functions of the Municipal Court Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts are to oversee the operations of the municipal courts in this State and to ensure that the courts are complying with appropriate procedural and policy guidelines.  If you have a complaint concerning the administrative operations of a municipal court, you should contact this office directly.

Sincerely, Lawrence E. Walton, Chief, Municipal Court Services Division,R. J. Hughes Justic Complex, PO Box 986, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0986, phone 609-984-8241, faxphone 609-292-4255