The Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex is located in Trenton, the capital of the State of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It is home to the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

and other judicial and executive departments. Named in honor of Richard J. Hughes, a former Governor and Chief Justice in New Jersey, it is one several judicial centers in the city.

New Jersey Supreme Court and government offices

Much of Judiciary of New Jersey is housed in the complex, including the courtroom, chambers and offices of the

State Supreme Court In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in b ...

, the courtroom and several chambers and offices of the

New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division (in case citation, N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div) is the intermediate appellate court in New Jersey. "The Appellate Division of New Jersey's Superior Court is the first level appellate court, with appe ...

, and the administrative headquarters of the statewide court system. It is also home to

New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety The New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by ...

which is under the purview of the

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limite ...

, both of which maintain their main offices there. The

New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate The New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate was a department within the Executive branch of the government of New Jersey that acted as a voice on behalf of the people of the state. It was responsible to make government "more accountable and r ...

was based in the complex until it was eliminated in 2010 during the

governorship of Chris Christie Chris Christie took office as the 55th Governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010, and began his second term on January 21, 2014, and left office on January 16, 2018. Electoral history Cabinet Finances and budget 2010 New Jersey budget ...

Construction and architecture

The idea for the building was originally conceived in 1976 and construction began in 1978.

Grad Associates Grad Associates formerly Grad Partnership and Frank Grad & Sons, was an architectural firm based in Newark, New Jersey. Founded in 1906 by Frank Grad (1882–1968), the company was later run by his sons, Bernard (d. August 4, 2000) and Howard ( ...

(Newark) and StudioHillier (Princeton) were involved in the design, for which they won an

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

award. The Justice Center complex was completed in 1982. The modernist building is an eleven-story tall structure has approximately 1,080,000 square feet. It can be seen as three buildings in one: two eight story office building around a cube, which houses the court. Indoor bridges connect the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth floors. The two main entrances from the street lead into the atrium lobby which is open through ten stories to a rooftop skylight. Floors 1-8 is office space, chambers, and courtrooms. Floor 9 is the mechanical penthouse, level P1 is the street level, and P2 is the parking garage. The atrium and parking facilities were renovated again after original construction.

Dedication

The Justice Complex was dedicated in 1982 in honor of Richard J. Hughes (August 10, 1909December 7, 1992). Hughes served as the 45th

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

from 1962 to 1970, and as Chief Justice of the

from 1973–1979. He is the only person to have served New Jersey as both Governor and Chief Justice.

Public art

Public art at the complex was commissioned through the New Jersey Percent for Art Program, fulfilling a requirement in place since 1978 that every new state building include art to the value of 1.5 percent of its construction cost. Life-sized law-themed sculptures of clients and lawyers, by

John Seward Johnson II John Seward Johnson II (April 16, 1930 – March 10, 2020), also known as J. Seward Johnson Jr. and Seward Johnson, was an American artist known for ''trompe-l'œil'' painted bronze statues. He was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, the co-fou ...

, including ''Comprehesion,'' are scattered throughout the complex. There are three works of cast ductile iron by

Beverly Pepper Beverly Pepper (née Stoll; December 20, 1922 – February 5, 2020) was an American sculptor known for her monumental works, site specific and land art. She remained independent from any particular art movement. She lived in Italy, primarily in ...

: ''Symbiotic Marker'', ''Mute Metaphor'', ''Primary Presence''. A 7-by-60-foot acrylic, steel, aluminum, and canvas sculptural mural by

Sam Gilliam Sam Gilliam ( ; November 30, 1933 – June 25, 2022) was an American color field painter and lyrical abstractionist artist. Gilliam was associated with the Washington Color School, a group of Washington, D.C.-area artists that developed a form ...

, ''Trenton Makes Skies Waters Spinning Wheels Red Blue'', can be found in the dining room of the complex.

Trenton courthouses

Trenton is also the home Clarkson S. Fisher Federal Building and United States Courthouse which serves the

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...

and the Mercer County Courthouse and Annex, the Mercer County Criminal Courthouse and the Mercer County Civil Courthouse

References

External links

HJC: photos and diagrams
* {{New Jersey Courthouses in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Trenton, New Jersey Government buildings completed in 1982 1982 establishments in New Jersey Modernist architecture in New Jersey Supreme Court of New Jersey