(a) Absent an order of the court, the hearing date for a dispositive motion may not be adjourned if a trial date has been set.
Rule 4:105-3.Extensions of Time for Initial Dispositive Motions
Last amended September 1, 2018 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:105-3 bars adjourning a dispositive-motion hearing once a trial date is set (absent court order), lets the opposing party adjourn an initial dispositive motion's original hearing date once automatically by contacting the CBLP judge and serving a required letter, and requires court approval for any further extension.
Full Text of Rule 4:105-3
(b) Subject to paragraph (a), the original motion day of an initial dispositive motion may be adjourned once by a party opposing the motion, without the consent of the moving party, the court, or the clerk.
(c) To obtain the automatic extension, a party first must contact the CBLP judge to obtain a new motion date to be set by the court. Thereafter, the party must file with the clerk, and serve upon all other parties and the court, a letter stating that the originally noticed motion day has not previously been extended or adjourned and invoking the provisions of this rule prior to the date on which opposition papers would otherwise be due under the rules. That letter shall set forth the new motion day, which shall be provided by the CBLP judge.
(d) All parties opposing the motion shall timely file their opposition papers in accordance with the rules prior to the new motion day, and the moving party shall timely file its reply papers in accordance with the rules prior to the new motion day.
(e) No other extension of the time limits shall be permitted without an order of the court, and any application for such an extension shall advise the court whether other parties have or have not consented to such request.
Amendment History
New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “History” note beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; the “R.R.” citations refer to the former Revised Rules numbering the current rules replaced.
Adopted July 27, 2018 to be effective September 1, 2018.
Plain-English Summary
A dispositive motion's hearing date is fixed once trial is scheduled — it can't be adjourned without a court order. Before that happens, though, the party opposing an initial dispositive motion gets one automatic adjournment of the original motion day, without needing the moving party's, the court's, or the clerk's consent.
Getting that automatic extension takes a specific sequence: first contacting the CBLP judge for a new motion date, then filing with the clerk and serving everyone, including the court, a letter confirming the motion day hasn't already been extended or adjourned, invoking this rule before the deadline for opposition papers would otherwise pass, and stating the new date the CBLP judge set. Opposition and reply papers then follow the ordinary rules but keyed to that new motion day. Beyond this one automatic extension, nothing further happens without a court order, and any request for more time has to tell the court whether the other parties consented.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a dispositive motion's hearing date be adjourned once a trial date is set?
Not without a court order.
How does a party opposing an initial dispositive motion get an automatic one-time adjournment?
By contacting the CBLP judge for a new motion date, then filing and serving a letter confirming the motion day hasn't previously been extended, before the opposition papers' original due date.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:105-3). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey (N.J. Const. art. VI, § 2, ¶ 3). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 7, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: CBLP dispositive motion extensionautomatic adjournment CBLP