Lori Grifa is a judge of the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey, assigned to the Criminal Division of the Essex County vicinage. She was nominated by Governor

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

to the position on December 13, 2021 and confirmed by the New Jersey Senate on January 10, 2022. Prior being appointed to the bench, Grifa was an attorney in private practice and a partner at Archer & Greiner, PC. She was formerly a partner at Wolff & Samson, PC, a law firm founded by former NJ Attorney General David Samson. Grifa served as Commissioner of the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

in 2010 to 2012 during the

governorship of Chris Christie Chris Christie took office as the 55th governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010, began his second term on January 21, 2014, and left office on January 16, 2018. Electoral history Cabinet Finances and budget 2010 New Jersey budget Gov ...

. Raised in

Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a Township (New Jersey), township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its mainland United States, mainland portion is also a census-designated ...

, Grifa graduated from

Toms River High School East Toms River High School East is a comprehensive four-year public high school, the third high school built in Toms River in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Toms River ...

in 1981. In 1985, she earned her BA cum laude, from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

, where she was a Henry Rutgers Thesis Scholar and member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. Grifa graduated from the Boston College School of Law in 1988, and served as law clerk to Judge

Elbert Tuttle Elbert Parr Tuttle (July 17, 1897 – June 23, 1996) was the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1960 to 1967, when that court became known for a series of decisions crucial in advancing the civil rights of ...

of the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equ ...

. She is a member of the Bar in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. She was a special assistant district attorney in the Homicide Investigation Unit of the

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County, New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws (federal l ...

's Office for two years and was a senior assistant district attorney in the Office of the

Brooklyn District Attorney The Kings County District Attorney's Office, also known as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, is the district attorney's office for Kings County, coterminous with the Borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The office is responsible for th ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. from 1989 to 1997, where she specialized in homicide and gang-related prosecutions. From 2002 to 2003, Grifa served as chief of staff to

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

David Samson. In that capacity, she was responsible for managing the New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety. Grifa was appointed by the chief justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

to the Committee for Women and the Courts and the State Domestic Violence Working Group as District V-A Attorney Ethics Committee, on which served a four-year term from 2008 to 2012. Grifa served in Governor Chris Christie's Cabinet as the commissioner of the

from 2010 until her resignation on January 2, 2012. During her tenure, she also chaired the

New Jersey Meadowlands Commission The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC; formerly the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission) was a regional zoning, planning and regulatory agency in northern New Jersey. Its founding mandates were to protect the delicate balance of ...

, the New Jersey Redevelopment Agency, the New Jersey

Council on Affordable Housing The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) was, until its abolition in 2024, an agency of the Government of New Jersey within the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs that was responsible for ensuring that all 566 New Jersey municipalities ...

and the New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency.

References

External links

NJ Biz profileArticles by Lori GrifaNJ Spotlight
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grifa, Lori Living people Lawyers from Ocean County, New Jersey University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni People from Toms River, New Jersey Commissioners of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Boston College Law School alumni Rutgers University alumni Toms River High School East alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers

See also

References

External links