N.J. Stat. tit. 10, ch. 1

in effect

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-1 Right of citizens to hold office or employment; no discrimination because of sex or marital status

The right of citizens of this State to hold office or employment shall be coextensive with their right to vote, shall be equal as to all citizens and shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex or marital status. Such equal rights and privileges shall extend to all offices, boards, commissions or other public service in the State and its political subdivisions of whatever nature or kind. There shall be no discrimination based on sex or marital status in the compensation, appointment, assignment, promotion, transfer, dismissal or other matters pertaining to such office or employment of persons referred to in this section. Amended by L.1941, c. 247, p. 668, s. 1.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-2 § 10:1-2

All persons within the jurisdiction of this state shall be entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of any places of public accommodation, resort or amusement, subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-3 Exclusions based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, or sex unlawful

No owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or employee of any such place shall directly or indirectly refuse, withhold from, or deny to, any person any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges thereof, or directly or indirectly publish, circulate, issue, display, post, or mail any written or printed communication, notice or advertisement to the effect that any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of any such place shall be refused, withheld from, or denied to, any person on account of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex, or that the patronage or custom thereat of any person belonging to or purporting to be of any particular race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex, is unwelcome, objectionable or not acceptable, desired or solicited; provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to bar any place of public accommodation which is in its nature reasonably restricted exclusively to individuals of one sex, and which shall include but not be limited to any summer camp, day camp or resort camp, bathhouse, dressing room, swimming pool, gymnasium, comfort station, dispensary, clinic or hospital, or school or educational institution which is restricted exclusively to individuals of one sex, from refusing, withholding from or denying to any individual of the opposite sex any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges thereof on the basis of sex; provided further, that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to any restaurant as defined in R.S. 33:1-1 or place where alcoholic beverages are served. Amended by L.1945, c. 168, p. 587, s. 1; L.1970, c. 80, s. 1, eff. June 2, 1970.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-4 § 10:1-4

The production of any such written or printed communication, notice or advertisement, purporting to relate to any such place and to be made by any owner, lessee, proprietor, superintendent or manager thereof, shall be presumptive evidence in any civil or criminal action that the same was authorized by such person.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-5 § 10:1-5

A place of public accommodation, resort or amusement within the meaning of this chapter shall be deemed to include any inn, tavern, road house or hotel, whether for entertainment of transient guests or accommodation of those seeking health, recreation or rest; any restaurant, eating house, or place where food is sold for consumption on the premises; any place maintained for sale of ice cream, ice and fruit preparations or their derivatives, soda water or confections, or where any beverages of any kind are retailed for consumption on the premises; any garage, any public conveyance operated on land or water, and stations and terminals thereof; any public bathhouse, public boardwalk, public seashore accommodation; any theater, or other place of public amusement, motion-picture house, airdrome, music hall, roof garden, skating rink, amusement and recreation park, fair, bowling alley, gymnasium, shooting gallery, billiard and pool parlor; any dispensary, clinic, hospital, public library, kindergarten, primary and secondary school, high school, academy, college and university, or any educational institution under the supervision of the regents of the state of New Jersey. Nothing contained in sections 10:1-2 to 10:1-7 of this title shall be construed to include, or to apply to, any institution, club, or place of accommodation which is in its nature distinctly private, or to prohibit the mailing of a private communication in writing sent in response to a specific written inquiry.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-6 Penalty and punishment

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of sections 10:1-2 to 10:1-5 of this Title by denying to any citizen, except for reasons applicable alike to all citizens of every race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex and regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex, the full enjoyment of any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges in said sections enumerated, or by aiding or inciting such denial, or who shall aid or incite the violation of any of the said provisions shall, for each and every violation thereof, forfeit and pay the sum of not less than $100.00 nor more than $500.00, to the State, to be recovered in a civil action, with costs, and shall also, for every such violation, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $500.00, or by imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or both. Amended by L.1945, c. 168, p. 587, s. 2; L.1953, c. 10, p. 91, s. 1; L.1970, c. 80, s. 2, eff. June 2, 1970.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-7 Jurisdiction; costs and attorney's fees

10:1-7. The aggrieved party or parties in any action authorized by R.S.10:1-6 may institute said action in the name of the State of New Jersey in the Superior Court. If judgment is awarded in favor of the plaintiff in such action, the aggrieved party shall be paid out of the judgment so recovered, the costs incurred in prosecuting such action, according to a bill of costs to be taxed as hereinafter provided, and also an attorney's fee of not less than twenty dollars ($20.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) to be determined and fixed as hereinafter provided. The bill of costs shall be taxed by the clerk of the court as in other civil actions within the jurisdiction of the court. The amount of the attorney's fee shall be determined and fixed by an order of the court. Amended 1953, c.10, s.2; 1991,c.91,s.216.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-8 Jurors not disqualified for race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status, or sex; penalty

No citizen possessing all other qualifications prescribed by law shall be disqualified for service as a grand or petit juror in any court on account of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex, and any officer or other person charged with any duty in the selection or summoning of jurors who shall exclude or fail to summon any citizen for the cause aforesaid shall, on conviction thereof, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and be fined not more than $5,000.00. Amended by L.1945, c. 168, p. 588, s. 3; L.1970, c. 80, s. 3, eff. June 2, 1970.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-9 Discrimination due to color or sex in burial of dead, misdemeanor

No cemetery corporation, association or company, organized under any law of this State, owning or having control of any cemetery or place for the burial of the dead, shall refuse to permit the burial of any deceased person therein because of the color or sex of such deceased person, and any cemetery corporation, association or company offending against this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Amended by L.1970, c. 80, s. 4, eff. June 2, 1970.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-10 Defense industries; discrimination in employment based on race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex

It shall be unlawful for any employer engaged to any extent whatsoever in the production, manufacture or distribution of military or naval material, equipment or supplies for the State of New Jersey, or for the Federal Government, or for any subsidiary or agency of either the State or Federal Government, or who is engaged on any defense contract whatsoever, to refuse to employ any person in any capacity on account of the race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex of such person; provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to bar an employer from refusing to accept for employment any person on the basis of sex in those certain circumstances where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the particular business or enterprise. L.1942, c. 114, p. 387, s. 1. Amended by L.1945, c. 174, p. 603, s. 2; L.1970, c. 80, s. 5, eff. June 2, 1970.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-11 Exclusion from, denial of, or aid or incitement of another to deny public employment or employment in defense industry

Any employer or person who (1) Excludes a citizen by reason of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex, from any public employment, or employment in any capacity, in industries engaged on defense contracts, or (2) Denies, or aids or incites another to deny, to any person, because of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status or sex, public employment or employment in any capacity, in industries engaged on defense contracts, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of not less than $100.00, nor more than $500.00, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months or both. L.1942, c. 114, p. 387, s. 2. Amended by L.1945, c. 174, p. 604, s. 3; L.1970, c. 80, s. 6, eff. June 2, 1970.

N.J. Stat. § 10:1-12 "Employer" and "industry" defined

(a) "Employer" includes any individual, partnership, association, corporation, business trust, legal representative or any organized group of persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in its relations to employees. (b) "Industry" refers to any trade, business, industry or branch thereof, or group of industries, in which individuals are employed. L.1942, c. 114, p. 387, s. 3.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026