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

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

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. The department is headed by Commissioner Sheila Oliver, who is also serving as lieutenant governor of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA prov ...

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, and 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 ...

. Raised in

Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its mainland portion is also a census-designated place of the same name, which serves as the county seat of Ocean County.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, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Toms River Regio ...

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

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

, 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, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. 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 United States circuit 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 advanc ...

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 equit ...

. 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 (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ...

'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 the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. 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 Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limite ...

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 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 challenging th ...

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 n ...

, the

New Jersey Redevelopment Agency New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, the New Jersey

Council on Affordable Housing The Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) is a defunct 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 provided their fair shar ...

and the

New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

References

External links

NJ Biz profileArticles by Lori GrifaNJ Spotlight
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grifa, Lori Living people New Jersey lawyers 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)

See also

References

External links