Gurbir Grewal

In March 2019, as New Jersey's attorney general, Grewal touted the first arrests resulting from a law signed in 2018 by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy outlawing ghost guns, stating, "When you see repeatedly the same address, with the same individuals, at the same location continuing to order parts for the same types of guns, some red flags have to go up, that what’s going on here is not somebody who’s an enthusiast or a hobbyist, but rather somebody who’s engaged in illegal trafficking. And that is part of the problem with ghost gun manufacturers, that they are playing fast and loose with our rules."[15] Days later, Grewal filed the first of its kind lawsuit against a ghost gun manufacturer, U.S. Patriot Armory, accusing the company of violating New Jersey's ghost gun ban by ignoring a cease-and-desist order to stop selling rifle-assembly kits to New Jersey buyers.[16] Also in March 2019, Grewal filed lawsuits against ExxonMobil,[17] DuPont, and 3M, accusing the companies of polluting sites in New Jersey; he stated, "We’re sending a strong message to polluters that no matter how big you are, or how powerful you are, or how long you’ve been getting away with contaminating your state’s natural resources, we are going to hold you accountable in court."[18] On March 28, 2019, Grewal announced a directive to all 21 New Jersey county prosecutors to institute college campus outreach protocols to impede sexual violence at the collegiate level.[19]

In April 2019, Grewal announced updated standards for dealing with bias incidents.[20] Also in April 2019, he called for monitoring of comments on the Facebook page of "Rise Up Ocean County", a group which has been called a home for anti-Semitic sentiment targeting the rapidly growing Orthodox Jewish population of Lakewood and surrounding Ocean County, New Jersey.[21] On April 26, 2019, Grewal asked for the resignation of the director of the Elizabeth, New Jersey Police Department amid a scandal over racist and sexist slurs and also replaced the Union County county prosecutor.[22]

On May 1, 2019, Grewal announced the dismantling of an organized crime gambling and loansharking operation[23] and also launched an investigation into prior corporate tax loopholes afforded at the time by the New Jersey Development Authority.[24] On May 6, 2019, Grewal filed suit against the Department of Justice to force disclosure of any evidence of influence-peddling upon the Justice Department's decision to oppose legalized online gambling across the U.S.[25] On May 8, 2019, Grewal indicated that the City of Newark had exceeded its statutory authority by affording civilians subpoena powers over the city's police department.[26] On May 10, 2019, Grewal joined state attorneys general from across the country in filing a lawsuit against 20 generic pharmaceuticals companies, 11 of which were based in New Jersey, along with several individuals, accusing them of collusion and price-fixing.[27] On May 14, 2019, Grewal announced a lawsuit against several large chemical companies, accusing them of selling toxic firefighting foam for decades while knowing the health risks they posed to the public and to the environment.[28]

In June 2019, Grewal's office forced a Bloomfield restaurant which had posted a "males only" hiring sign to pay $1,000 and implement an anti-discrimination policy that explains how workers can file complaints, as well as training managers and staff about the anti-discrimination law; Grewal stated that gender discrimination would not be tolerated in the overall hiring process.[29] In mid-June, Grewal filed a lawsuit against a Nevada gun dealer for selling high-capacity gun magazines illegally to an undercover agent in New Jersey, despite a prior cease-and-desist order issued to the company barring the marketing, selling, and shipping of high-capacity gun magazines to New Jersey residents.[30]

On August 6, 2019, Grewal announced the creation of the first U.S. statewide program to support the mental health of police officers. The goal of the program would be to train officers in emotional resiliency and to help destigmatize mental health issues.[31] On August 8, Grewal announced the dismantling of two major drug- and gun-trafficking criminal organizations, accompanied by the arrests of 28 individuals and the seizure of significant amounts of narcotics, ammunition, and cash.[32]

In 2021, Grewal abolished mandatory minimums for six non-violent drug offenses, and allowed inmates who were serving mandatory minimum sentences for those crimes to request a court review and a new sentence.[33]

On June 29, 2021, Grewal announced he would be resigning as New Jersey’s attorney general to take an appointment as Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement.[34] His resignation as attorney general was effective July 16, 2021.[35] His SEC appointment was effective July 26, 2021.[36]