Background

CJ Griffin focuses her practice primarily on Media Law, Access to Public Records, and Appellate Advocacy.

Prior to joining Pashman Stein, CJ was a law clerk to Hon. Ariel A. Rodriguez, Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, and a litigation associate at Scarinci Hollenbeck. During law school, CJ was a Research Editor for the Rutgers Law Review.  Prior to law school, CJ worked in non-profit management in several non-profit organizations, including the National Housing Institute, Identity House of New York City, and Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.

CJ is currently the Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the ACLU of New Jersey and performs significant pro bono work on a variety of civil rights issues. CJ is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the LGBT Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and previously served on the Essex County LGBTQ Advisory Board.

CJ earned a 2017 Professional Achievement Award from the Young Lawyers Division of the New Jersey State Bar Association.  In addition, CJ is recognized as a New Jersey Rising Star for the 2013-2017 editions of Super Lawyers and was included in the New Jersey Law Journal’s “New Leaders of the Bar” (formerly “40 Under 40”) in 2012.

Professional/Civic Activities

• ACLU-NJ, Board of Trustees, Vice President
• New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Minority Concerns, Member
• New Jersey State Bar Association, (2009-Present)
  • Media Law Committee, Co-Chair
  • LGBT Rights Section, Immediate Past Chair
  • Bylaws & Resolutions Committee, Member
  • New Jersey Lawyer Editorial Board, Former Member
  • Amicus Committee, Member
• New Jersey Women Lawyer’s Association, Member
• New Jersey Law Journal’s Young Lawyers Advisory Board, Member
• Women Lawyers In Bergen, Member

Publications

“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

Published Cases

Wronko v. New Jersey Soc’y for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, __ N.J. Super. __ (App. Div. 2018)
Libertarians for Transparent Gov’t v. Gov’t Records Council, __ N.J. Super. __ (App. Div. 2018)
North Jersey Media Grp Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 229 N.J. 541 (2017)
In re New Jersey Firemen’s Ass’n, 230 N.J. 258 (2017)
North Jersey Media Grp. Inc. v. Office of Governor, 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)
North Jersey Media Grp Inc. v. Twp. of Lyndhurst, 441 N.J. Super. 70 (App. Div. 2015)
Gilleran v. Twp. of Bloomfield, 440 N.J. Super. 490 (App. Div. 2015)
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
• United States District Court, District of New Jersey

Education

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

Accolades

• Winner 2017 New Jersey State Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division Professional Achievement Award
• Included in the New Jersey Rising Star list for the editions of 2013-2017.
• Included in New Jersey Law Journal’s “New Leaders of the Bar” list (formerly, “40 Under 40”) for 2012.

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

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