New Jersey Supreme Court Says State Can Empanel Grand Jury to Investigate Clergy Abuse, by Daniel Payne

By Daniel Payne, CNA, June 17, 2025

Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.

CNA Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 10:37 am – The New Jersey government will be allowed to assemble a grand jury to investigate allegations of clergy sexual abuse there, the state Supreme Court said Monday.

In a unanimous ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court said a lower court had erred when it held the state could not empanel the jury, with the high court stating that the government “has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.”

The lower court had said in part that any findings from the grand jury could be “fundamentally unfair” because any priests accused in it would lack the ability to adequately challenge the allegations.

But the Supreme Court said it was up to judges to decide if any report complied with prevailing legal standards. Courts “cannot and [do] not decide the ultimate question in advance,” the ruling said. ….

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