To postpone a hearing in New Jersey Superior Court, download the NJ Courts adjournment request form for your court division from njcourts.gov, fill in the case details and your reason for the delay, get the other parties’ consent if you can, and file it with the court before the Wednesday deadline in the week before trial. Attorneys and eCourts users can have the form auto-generated during electronic filing instead of downloading it separately.
Where to Download the Form
The New Jersey Judiciary publishes adjournment request forms in its online forms library, and each court division uses its own version. The Family Part, for example, uses form CN 12592, a fillable PDF titled “Order Adjournment” last revised in December 2025.1New Jersey Courts. Superior Court of New Jersey Chancery Division – Family Part – Order Adjournment If you don’t see the right form for your case, go to njcourts.gov/self-help/forms and search by case type. If the PDF won’t open in your browser, right-click the link and choose “Save link as.”
Attorneys filing in the Civil Division through eCourts don’t need to download anything. The system can auto-generate the adjournment request during the electronic filing workflow and pre-populate case details from the docket.2New Jersey Courts. eCourts – Adjournment Request Template You can also opt out and upload your own document.
What to Put on the Form
Every version of the form asks for the same core information. Gather this before you start:
- Docket number. This is the unique case identifier assigned when the matter was filed. A wrong number sends your request into the wrong case file, and the court won’t fix that for you.
- Court division and assigned judge. Civil, Criminal, Family, or another division. This routes the form to the right chambers.
- Current scheduled date of the hearing, trial, or motion you want postponed.
- Proposed new date. New Jersey Court Rule 4:36-3 requires that your request include a proposed date agreed on by all parties, set as soon as possible after the problem causing the delay is resolved.
- Contact information (phone and email) for every party in the case, so court staff can communicate scheduling updates.
- Reason for the request. Be specific and factual. “Scheduling conflict” is thin. “Attorney has a previously scheduled trial in [county] on that date” is the kind of detail judges look for.
- Consent status. Whether all other parties agree, or whether any party objects.
The consent question matters more than most people realize. Under Rule 4:36-3(b), a first-time adjournment request for a reasonable period will generally be granted when it is timely and all parties consent. If you can’t get consent, or this is your second request, the court will schedule a conference call with all parties rather than ruling on the paper filing alone. Contact opposing counsel or the other party before you submit, and document their response.
When You Have to File It
File as soon as you know you need the postponement. For civil trials and arbitrations, Rule 4:36-3(b) sets a firm outer deadline: absent exceptional circumstances, you must submit the request by close of business on the Wednesday before the Monday of trial week.3New Jersey Courts. Statewide Adjournment Procedure for Civil Trials and Arbitrations Miss that Wednesday and you’ll have to show the reason for the delay was both unforeseeable and unavoidable, a much harder bar to clear.
How Judges Decide
Adjournments aren’t granted automatically. The standard shifts with timing and history:
- A first, timely request with everyone’s consent should be granted for a reasonable period to accommodate a scheduling conflict or the unavailability of an attorney, party, or witness.
- A second request, or any request without consent, triggers a conference call with all sides and closer scrutiny of whether the delay is genuinely necessary.
- A late request filed after the Wednesday cutoff requires exceptional circumstances. A foreseeable conflict you sat on for weeks won’t qualify.
Judges also look at the case’s overall history. If the docket shows a pattern of repeated delays, a technically valid reason may not overcome the court’s interest in moving the case forward. The written explanation on your form is doing real work. Treat it like a short brief.
How to Submit the Form
Through eCourts
Attorneys and self-represented litigants with eCourts accounts can file electronically.4New Jersey Courts. eCourts and eFiling Choose your filing role, select “Proceeding Related” as the filing type and “Adjournment Request” from the filing description dropdown, then enter the adjournment details: whether the opposing party consented, which proceeding you want adjourned, and how many cycles you’re requesting.5New Jersey Courts. Adjournment Request Template – eCourts Quick Reference Guide Preview the auto-generated document or upload your own, and certify that all confidential personal identifiers have been redacted under Rule 1:38-7. After you submit, print the confirmation screen for your records. The filing is stored to the eCourts case jacket automatically, and notifications go to the court and the other parties.2New Jersey Courts. eCourts – Adjournment Request Template
Through JEDS or by Mail
Without an eCourts account, use the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) system, which accepts filings 24 hours a day and doesn’t require full eCourts registration.6New Jersey Courts. Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) You can also mail or hand-deliver the completed form to the clerk’s office at the courthouse where your case is pending. If you mail it, include an extra copy and a self-addressed stamped envelope so the court can send back its decision.
After You Submit
The court will issue a written order or notice granting or denying the request. If granted, the order specifies the new date. If denied, the original date stands. Until you have a signed order in hand, keep preparing for the original date.7New Jersey Courts. On the Day of Your Court Appearance Assuming the postponement will come through and skipping the hearing is one of the more expensive mistakes you can make in litigation.
If the request is denied and you can’t appear, the judge has discretion to dismiss your case, decide it in your absence, or proceed without you. In civil cases, that often means a default judgment against the party who failed to show. If you learn your adjournment has been denied and you genuinely cannot attend, contact the court immediately instead of simply not appearing.