New Jersey can have a grand jury investigate clergy sex abuse allegations, state high court rules
- On June 16, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously approved a special grand jury investigation into decades of reported sexual misconduct involving members of the Catholic clergy throughout the state.
- The decision ended a years-long legal battle initiated by the Diocese of Camden, which previously won lower court rulings blocking the investigation and keeping it sealed.
- The court found no basis to stop the state's inquiry into clergy sex abuse allegations and potential coverups despite the Diocese's claims that a grand jury would be unfair to living and deceased clergy members.
- New Jersey’s top legal officials emphasized that the court’s decision allows the state to continue gathering evidence and underscores their dedication to supporting survivors, while attorney Greg Gianforcaro described the ruling as a major triumph for those affected by abuse.
- The ruling allows New Jersey to investigate systemic abuse at five Catholic dioceses, with about 188 accused priests named, signaling continued legal scrutiny and potential accountability for the Church.
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94 Articles
New Jersey Supreme Court says state can empanel grand jury to investigate clergy abuse
The New Jersey State House. / Credit: Felix Lipov/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 10:37 am (CNA). The New Jersey government will be allowed to assemble a grand jury to investigate allegations of clergy sexual abuse there, the state Supre... [...]
New Jersey Supreme Court Says State Can Empanel Grand Jury to Investigate Clergy Abuse
iweta0077 The judge said that Father Guidry showed no remorse or had any sense that he had done anything wrong. The court’s decision comes just over a month after the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, said it would drop its fight against the state’s efforts to empanel the grand jury.
Long-buried claim of rapist priest at Catholic summer camp puts N.H.’s statute of limitations to the test - The Boston Globe
More than 20 years after claims of child sexual abuse rocked the Catholic Church, states are still figuring out who can be held accountable, and how.
Clergy abuse allegations against Diocese of Camden can be investigated by grand jury, N.J. Supreme Court rules
A New Jersey Supreme Court ruling will allow the state to advance its grand jury investigation into decades of clergy abuse, ending a seven-year legal battle that had been secretly mounted by the Diocese of Camden in South Jersey.
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