New Jerseycan have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state’s supreme court ruled on Monday, after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course.
The Camden diocese previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state’s investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he’d met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church’s opposition to the grand jury.
The seven-member supreme court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed.
“Courts cannot presume the outcome of an investigation in advance or the contents of a presentment that has not yet been written,” the court wrote in an opinion joined by all seven justices. “We find that the state has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.”
The state attorney general’s office praised the decision in an emailed statement and said it’s committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse.
“We are grateful for the New Jersey supreme court’s decision … confirming what we have maintained throughout this lengthy court battle: that there was no basis to stop the state from pursuing a grand jury presentment on statewide sexual abuse by clergy,” first assistant attorney General Lyndsay V Ruotolo said in an emailed statement.
The Camden diocese is still committed to cooperating with the effort, it said in a statement.
“To the victims and all those impacted by abuse, we reaffirm our sorrow, our support, and our unwavering resolve to do what is right, now and always,” the diocese said.
An email seeking comment was sent Monday to the Catholic League, an advocacy and civil rights organization that still opposed the grand jury after the diocese’s change.
A Pennsylvania grand jury reportin 2018 found more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, prompting the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey’s inquiry never became public partly because the legal battle with the Camden diocese was unfolding amid sealed proceedings.
Then this year, the Bergen Record obtained documents disclosing that the diocese had tried to pre-empt a grand jury – and a lower court agreed with the diocese.
The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits – up to 55, according to court records – after the statute of limitations was relaxed.
In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5m to settle allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers.