Background

CJ Griffin is the director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden (Stein Public Interest Center). Established in 2019, the Stein Public Interest Center is dedicated to a broad range of public interest impact litigation and appellate advocacy that advances social, racial, and economic justice; protects civil liberties and constitutional rights; and promotes an open and transparent government.

CJ Griffin’s legal practice focuses on media law, appellate advocacy, employment, criminal defense and cannabis law.

CJ has earned a reputation in the state as one of the leading attorneys representing media companies, non profit organizations and citizens in Open Public Records Act (OPRA) litigations. Several of CJ’s cases have resulted in landmark decisions from the Supreme Court and Appellate Division, including North Jersey Media Group Inc. v. Township of Lyndhurst; Scheeler v. Atlantic County Joint Municipal Insurance Fund; and Wronko v. New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. CJ publishes the Firm’s “New Jersey OPRA Blog” to keep the public informed about updates in the law and routinely hosts OPRA trainings for community organizations and news-rooms.

CJ has built a considerable appellate practice. CJ has argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court more than a dozen times and has worked on more than 30 cases that have become published opinions. This includes regular appearances before the appellate courts in an amicus curiae capacity on a variety of legal issues. CJ also serves on the Amicus Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association. In 2018, the New Jersey Law Journal awarded the Firm a Litigation Department of the Year Award for its appellate work, primarily in the OPRA field.

Professional/Civic Activities

• Association of Criminal Lawyers of New Jersey, 2020-present
  •  Police Accountability Committee, 2020-Present
• ACLU-NJ, Board of Trustees, Vice President (2016-Present)
• New Jersey State Bar Association, 2009-Present
  • LGBT Rights Section, Chair, 2015; Member, current
  • Bylaws & Resolutions Committee, Member, 2018-current
  • Amicus Committee, Member, 2018-current
  • Media Law Committee, Co-Chair, 2018-current
• New Jersey Law Journal’s Young Lawyers Advisory Board, Former Member

Publications

•  “COVID-19 ‘Stay at Home’ Orders Provoke First Amendment Challenges,” New Jersey Law Journal, Oct. 2020
•  “The Legal Implications of Governmental Social Media Use,” New Jersey Lawyer, April 2019
• “The Noncommittal Glomar Response: Depriving the Public of the Right to Know Whether Public Records Exist,” New Jersey Lawyer, June 2017
• “The Use of Prior Restraints on Publication in the Age of Wikileaks,” New Jersey Lawyer, June 2017 (pending)
• “Public-Private Partnerships May Be Subject to OPRA,” New Jersey Law Journal, November 6, 2014}
• "Using New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act as a Litigation Tool,” New Jersey Corp. Counsel Assoc. Newsletter (December 2014)
• “What Businesses Need to Know About New Jersey’s New Domestic Violence Leave Law,” NJBIZ, October 9, 2014
• “How To Use NJ Open Public Records Act To Get The Scoop,” Law360, September 9, 2014
•  “It’s Not Just a Job—LGBT Workplace Issues,” New Jersey Lawyer, June 2013

Important Cases

•State v. Andujar, __ N.J. __ (2021)
•In re Attorney Gen. Law Enf't Directive Nos. 2020-5 & 2020-6, 246 N.J. 462 (2021)
•Gannett Satellite Info. Network, LLC v. Twp. of Neptune, __ N.J. Super. __ (App. Div. 2021)
•State v. Lopez-Carrera, 245 N.J. 596 (2021)
•State v. Garcia, 245 N.J. 412 (2021)
• In re Attorney Gen. Law Enf't Directive Nos. 2020-5 & 2020-6, A-3950-19T4, 465 N.J. Super. 111 (App. Div. 2020)
• Libertarians for Trans. Gov’t v. Cumberland County, 465 N.J. Super. 11 (App. Div. 2020), certif. granted, 245 N.J. 38 (2021) (pending)
• Fraternal Order of Police, Newark Lodge No. 12 v. City of Newark, 244 N.J. 75 (2020)
• State v. Courtney, 243 N.J. 77 (2020)
• State v. Greene, 242 N.J. 530 (2020)
• Friedman v. Martinez, 242 N.J. 449 (2020)
• State v. J.V., 242 N.J. 432 (2020)
• State v. Shaw, 241 N.J. 223 (2020)
• Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings Inc., 241 N.J. 285 (2020)
• Digital First Media v. Ewing Twp., 462 N.J. Super. 389 (App. Div. 2020)
• State v. Trinidad, 241 N.J. 425 (2020)
• L.R. v. Camden City Pub. Sch. Dist., 238 N.J. 547 (2019)
• Correa v. Grossi, 458 N.J. Super. 571 (App. Div. 2019)
• Piscitelli v. City of Garfield Zoning Bd., 237 N.J. 333 (2019)
• Petro-Lubricant Testing Labs, Inc. v. Asher Adelman, 233 N.J. 236 (2018)
• Scheeler v. Atl. Cty. Mun. Joint Ins. Fund, 454 N.J. Super. 621 (App. Div. 2018)
• N. Jersey Media Group Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017)
• Wronko v. N.J.S.P.C.A., 453 N.J. Super. 73 (App. Div. 2018)
• Brennan v. Bergen Cnty Prosecutor’s Office, 223 N.J. 330 (2018)
• Paff v. Ocean Cty. Prosecutor's Office, 235 N.J. 1 (2018)
• Kean Federation of Teachers v. Morel, 233 N.J. 566 (2018)
• Libertarians for Transparent Gov’t v. Gov’t Records Council, 453 N.J. Super. 83 (App. Div. 2018)
• In re New Jersey Firemen’s Ass’n, 230 N.J. 258 (2017)
• N. Jersey Media Grp. Inc. v. Office of Gov., 451 N.J. Super. 282 (App. Div. 2017)
• State v. Bacome, 228 N.J. 94 (2017)
• Gilleran v. Twp. of Bloomfield, 227 N.J. 159 (2016)
• State v. Tate, 220 N.J. 393 (2015)
• Turner v. Twp. Of Irvington, 430 N.J. Super. 274 (App. Div. 2013)
• Headen v. Jersey City Bd. of Educ., 212 N.J. 437 (2012)
• Wilson v. City of Jersey City, 209 N.J. 558 (2012)

Clerkships

• Judicial Law Clerk to Ariel A. Rodriguez, P.J.A.D. (2009-2010)

Bar/Court Admissions

• New Jersey
• New York
• United States District Court, District of New Jersey
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

Education

• B.S., SUNY-Empire State College, 2005
• J.D., Rutgers University School of Law, 2009

Honors and Accolades

The New Jersey Rising Star list is issued by Thomson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html.

The New Leaders of the Bar list is published by the New Jersey Law Journal. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.njlawjournal.com/id=1202567879607/New-Leaders-of-the-Bar.

The Insider 100: Cannabis Power List is issued by Insider NJ. A description of the selection methodology can be found at https://www.insidernj.com/2021-insider-cannabis-power/.

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