N.J. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal Stepping Down to Join Securities and Exchange Commission
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the nation’s first Sikh American state attorney general, will be resigning from his post to join the Securities and Exchange Commission as its director of the Division of Enforcement, effective July 26, an SEC press release announced June 29.
SEC’s Enforcement Division plays a critical role in seeking out and punishing violators of the law. In his new role, Grewal will be charged with pursuing violations of law for the federal agency which regulates the nation’s financial markets.
Grewal has served as the Garden State’s attorney general since January 2018 when he was appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy.
According to Compliance Week, Grewal, one of the state’s longest-serving attorneys general, is the second individual to be named to the position in three months after new SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s first pick resigned for personal reasons less than one full week on the job. Gensler had initially appointed Alex Oh to lead the Enforcement Division on April 22. Oh, who was joining from law firm Paul Weiss, was a controversial choice among progressives, many of whom criticized her corporate defense attorney background. On April 28, Oh stepped down from the role after a federal judge reprimanded her and others defending Exxon Mobil in a lawsuit brought by Indonesian villagers.
Grewal, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has been a high-profile attorney general, filing lawsuits for the state against former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Grewal will take over from Melissa Hodgman, who resumed her role as acting enforcement director after Oh resigned. Since December, four individuals have led the department, largely the result of turnover associated with the transition to the Biden administration.
“I’m excited to get to work with the talented team of public servants to uncover and prosecute misconduct and protect investors,” Grewal said in the press statement, adding, “I thank Governor Murphy for the opportunity to serve the people of New Jersey and all of the colleagues with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work during my career in the state.”
Grewal, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has been a high-profile attorney general, filing lawsuits for the state against former President Donald Trump’s administration, including on border separations, the environment and the Affordable Care Act. His tenure included several high-profile changes. Due to this, Grewal garnered a reputation in New Jersey for being tough on former President Donald Trump.
Before becoming New Jersey’s attorney general, Grewal served as Bergen County Prosecutor. Additionally, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where he served as Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit from 2014 to 2016, overseeing the investigation and prosecution of all major white-collar and cybercrimes in the state. He also previously worked in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where he was assigned to the Business and Securities Fraud Unit Grewal graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1995. He obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999.
Murphy is yet to name Grewal’s replacement. Alyana Alfaro Post, Murphy’s spokesperson, said in an email to Star Tribune that the governor would name an interim successor to serve the remainder of Grewal’s four-year term.
Murphy himself is up for reelection this year. His four-year term runs until January 2022.