Bulur v. Office of the New Jersey Attorney General

Amicus brief in support of the Attorney General’s Petition for Certification from an Appellate Division ruling that the Attorney General lacked statutory authority to supersede the operations of the Paterson Police Department.

The New Jersey Attorney General, operating pursuant to the legislative grant of authority to him as chief law enforcement officer for the State, had taken over the Paterson Police Department operations in March 2023 following a series of incidents, including an officer-related shooting. The AG's action was in line with prior supersessions, including that of the Camden Police Department and several county prosecutors' offices. The amicus brief focuses on the policy considerations that should lead the Court to construe the AG's statutory grant as including the power of supersession, describing the Camden situation and the lack of adequate federal oversight.