State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Eugene Monahan, Defendant, and Michael Monahan, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that New Jersey statutes vest exclusive jurisdiction in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court over any child under 16, including offenses that would be murder if committed by an adult, and therefore set aside the County Court order trying 15‑year‑old Michael Monahan for murder and remanded the case to the juvenile court. The Court noted that the legislature’s clear policy and statutory scheme control, overruling the earlier Mei decision. Two dissenting opinions (Oliphant and Wachenfeld) argued that the majority improperly overruled Mei and that murder cannot be treated as juvenile delinquency.