Attorney General of New Jersey
| New Jersey Attorney General | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $175,000 |
| 2024 FY Budget: | $41,626,000 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | New Jersey Constitution, Article V, Section IV |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by Governor |
| Current Officeholder | |
Attorney General of New Jersey
Matt Platkin | |
| Other New Jersey Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Comptroller• Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Commissioner of Environmental Protection • Labor Commissioner • Public Utilities Board | |
The Attorney General of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and is the state’s chief law enforcement officer and legal advisor. The office is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey and is term limited. Under the provisions of the New Jersey State Constitution, the attorney general serves a four-year term concurrent to the governor.[1]
The attorney general is fourth in the line of succession after the lieutenant governor, speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and president of the New Jersey Senate. The attorney general may be removed "for cause" by the governor or by way of legislative impeachment.[2]
The attorney general serves as head of the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, which is organized into 10 divisions charged with overseeing the state's criminal justice system, consumer protection, regulating certain statewide industries, among other responsibilities. According to the office of the attorney general's mission statement, despite these varied duties, "the Department is singularly united in protecting the safety and security of all those who live, work, and visit New Jersey."[3]
New Jersey has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.
Current officeholder
The current Attorney General of New Jersey is Matt Platkin (D). Platkin assumed office in 2022.
Authority
New Jersey is one of seven states in which the voters do not elect the attorney general. The New Jersey Constitution addresses the office of attorney general in Article V, the Executive.
Under Article V, Section IV (3):
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The Secretary of State and the Attorney General shall be nominated and appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate to serve during the term of office of the Governor...[1] |
ACR 134, a bi-partisan bill introduced on March 20, 2014, would eliminate the appointment process and allow for an elected state attorney general. That bill was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. A similar bill (SCR 71) was pending in the New Jersey Senate.[4] Those bills, along with a 2016 proposal by State Sens. Peter Barnes, III and Raymond J. Lesniak, did not pass before the end of their respective legislative sessions.[5]
Qualifications
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that establishes the requirements necessary to qualify for a state executive office. That information for the Attorney General of New Jersey has not yet been added. After extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Appointments
Per Article V, Section IV (3) of the New Jersey Constitution, the attorney general is appointed by the governor with the consent of the state senate to serve during the term of the governor.[1]
Vacancies
Per Article V, Section I (13) of the New Jersey Constitution, in the event of a vacancy in the office of attorney general, the governor with the consent of the New Jersey Senate, appoints a new officeholder. If the vacancy occurs while the state legislature is in recess, the governor makes an ad interim appointment, which expires at the end of the next regular session of the state senate.[1]
Duties
| “ |
"The mission of the Department of Law and Public Safety is to protect the safety, security, and quality of life of the people of New Jersey through an integrated and coordinated structure of law enforcement and regulatory agencies. The Department represents the public’s rights and interests in all legal matters. With ten divisions, as well as independent commissions and boards, the Department has wide-ranging responsibilities critical to the people of New Jersey. The Attorney General, as head of the department, serves as the state’s chief law enforcement officer and legal advisor, and is responsible for the management and administration of the department of law and public safety. The Attorney General oversees the criminal justice system, protects the safety of the public and defends the state against lawsuits. The Department regulates the casino, boxing, alcoholic beverage and racing industries. The Department also protects consumers against fraud. While these responsibilities are varied, the Department is singularly united in protecting the safety and security of all those who live, work in and visit New Jersey."[6] |
” |
| —Office of the Attorney General[3] | ||
Divisions
As of January 12, 2021, the office of the attorney general is composed of the following divisions:[3]
- Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control
- Division of Consumer Affairs
- Division of Criminal Justice
- Division on Civil Rights
- Division of Gaming Enforcement
- Division of Highway Traffic Safety
- Division of Law
- Juvenile Justice Commission
- NJ Racing Commission
- State Athletic Control Board
- Division of NJ State Police
- Victims of Crime Compensation Office
State budget
- See also: New Jersey state budget and finances
The budget for the Office of the Attorney General in Fiscal Year 2024 was $41,626,000.[7]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The salaries of state executive officials are determined by the New Jersey State Legislature. State executive officers, along with judicial and legislative officials, have not received salary increases since 2002. A seven-member salary commission determined annual pay for state officials from its creation in 1999 until legislators eliminated the commission in 2014. All cabinet officials under the governor's office receive annual salaries of $141,000 as legislators have not approved pay increases since the commission's elimination.[8][9][10]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $175,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2021
In 2021, the attorney general received a salary of $175,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2020
In 2020, the attorney general received a salary of $175,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2019
In 2019, the attorney general received a salary of $140,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2018
In 2018, the attorney general received a salary of $140,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2017
In 2017, the attorney general received a salary of $140,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2016
In 2016, the attorney general received a salary of $140,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2015
In 2015, the attorney general received a salary of $141,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2014
In 2014, the attorney general received a salary of $141,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[19]
2013
In 2013, the attorney general received a salary of $141,000.[20]
2010
In 2010, the attorney general received a salary of $141,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[21]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Attorney General of New Jersey has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
- Andrew Bruck, acting 2021-2021
- Gurbir Grewal, 2018-2021
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Jersey Attorney General. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Mailing Address:
Office of The Attorney General
P.O. Box 080
Trenton, NJ 08625-0080
Street Address:
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
8th Floor, West Wing
25 Market Street
Trenton, NJ 08625-0080
Phone: 609-292-4925
Fax: 609-292-3508
See also
| New Jersey | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 New Jersey Legislature, "New Jersey State Constitution 1947," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ New Jersey State Legislature, "NEW JERSEY STATE CONSTITUTION 1947," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The State of New Jersey, Department of Law and Public Safety, "Office of the Attorney General: About Us," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Ballot Access News, Bipartisan Bill in New Jersey Assembly for an Elected Attorney General, March 23, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, "Should N.J. voters pick the state attorney general?" March 9, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ State of New Jersey, "Appropriations Handbook: Fiscal Year 2023-2024," accessed December 6, 2023
- ↑ NJ.com, "N.J. Republican leaders block pay raises for top state officials," September 28, 2011
- ↑ New Jersey State Legislature, "Joint Resolution No. 1," March 5, 1999
- ↑ LegiScan, "Assembly, No. 3067," February 7, 2013
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 3, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 31, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," accessed June 22, 2011
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