Daniel J. Munoz//June 29, 2021//

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is stepping down from his post to accept a position at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a June 29 announcement from the federal agency.
Grewal was tapped as the state’s top law enforcement officer in 2018 when Gov. Phil Murphy took office, making him the first Sikh-American state attorney general. In his new role with the Biden administration, he will head an enforcement unit tasked with policing Wall Street crimes.
Grewal will start on July 26, and according to NJ Globe, will be replaced in the interim by First Assistant Attorney General Andrew Bruck.
Grewal fills a position previously held by career attorney Alex Oh, who left the role over potential conflicts of interest in her private practice.
He previously served as Bergen County Prosecutor and an assistant U.S. Attorney.
“He has the ideal combination of experience, values, and leadership ability to helm the enforcement division,” reads a statement from SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “I look forward to working closely with him to protect investors and root out wrongdoing in our markets.”
During his tenure as New Jersey’s AG, Grewal and his sprawling department honed in on issues such as the opioid epidemic, cryptocurrency and financial fraud, and repeatedly sued the Trump administration over various federal policies.
“Through his efforts standing up to the Trump administration’s attacks on New Jersey and our diverse communities, instituting historic reforms in policing, and leading the fight against gun violence, Attorney General Grewal has been an invaluable member of our administration and a dedicated public servant to the residents of New Jersey,” Murphy said in a June 29 statement.
Murphy, a first-term Democratic governor, will be able to nominate a new attorney general, who would then require the approval of the state Senate.
According to Alyana Alfaro, the governor’s press secretary, Murphy will name “an interim Attorney General this week to fill the remainder of the four-year term.”
The governor’s first term ends this January; he is currently campaigning for a second term.