Colleagues,

Last week, our special committee on affordable housing drafted a letter to Judge Blee, the Acting Administrative Director of the Courts, pointing out that some Mt. Laurel judges were requiring fairness hearings, while others weren’t, and that we believed fairness hearings were inappropriate under both the Fair Housing Act and Directive 14-24.

This week, Judge Blee graciously responded with the attached letter, which I urge you to read in full. In short, Judge Blee noted that  “template language may have inadvertently carried through to some orders approving Housing Element and Fair Share Plans in uncontested or settled cases.  I recommend that whenever the phrase ‘fairness and/or compliance hearing’ appears in an order, counsel should contact the Mt. Laurel Judge, following the procedures established by the judge’s chambers, to obtain clarification.”

We greatly appreciate Judge Blee’s time and consideration of our concerns.

Sincerely,

Steven P. Goodell
President
New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys