Rutgers School of Law–Newark Alumni Association Annual Gala 2025

 BIO COMING SOON

CJ Griffin has built a reputation as a zealous advocate for government transparency and accountability in New Jersey. As a partner at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., CJ has served as director of the firm’s Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center since its founding in 2019 and regularly appears before the New Jersey Supreme Court in high profile public interest cases.

For more than a decade, CJ has represented reporters and others in hundreds of public records cases, including matters under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). CJ also advises clients on First Amendment matters involving free speech and media law (including defamation, trade libel, anti-SLAPP, shield law protection, and public records access).

CJ’s public records cases have significantly expanded access to law enforcement records such as dash cameras, body-worn cameras, use of force reports, and police misconduct records. CJ’s landmark victory in Rivera v. Union County Prosecutor’s Office, 250 N.J. 124 (2022), allowed public access to police internal affairs reports for the first time in state history—a ruling with potential national implications.

In Fall 2024, CJ used her expertise to teach a course titled “OPRA and the Common Law Right of access” at Rutgers Law School.

Under CJ’s leadership, the Stein Public Interest Center has been at the forefront of public interest litigation and appellate advocacy that advances social, racial, and economic justice; safeguards civil liberties and constitutional rights; protects democracy; and promotes open, transparent, and accountable government. Super Lawyers profiled CJ and the Center in its 2021 article, "The Inspired CJG - How the RBG Documentary Moved CJ Griffin to Build a First-of-Its-Kind Public-Interest Center."

Renowned for appellate advocacy, CJ has argued at least 25 cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court and has worked on more than 75 cases that resulted in precedential opinions. This includes dozens of arguments on behalf of non-profit organizations serving as amicus curiae, helping shape the law on issues with broad public impact.

In recognition of her public interest work, CJ has received the “Making Democracy Work” Award from the League of Women Voters of New Jersey (2024), the “Hon. Lawrence A. Whipple Memorial” Award from the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey (2022), and the “Partners in Justice” Award from Partners for Women and Justice (2021). She was also named an Attorney of the Year Finalist by the New Jersey Law Journal in 2018 and 2020.

CJ’s advocacy has also drawn acclaim from the media. In 2025, the Jersey Vindicator profiled CJ as a defender of democracy in, “Meet CJ Griffin, One of New Jersey’s Fiercest Advocates for Government Transparency.” In 2022, New Jersey Monitor honored CJ in a tribute titled "In Praise of CJ Griffin, Who Fights to Shine a Spotlight on N.J. Government.” And the Star Ledger named CJ one of “20 Jerseyans to Watch in 2020.”

CJ is currently the Vice President of the ACLU-NJ, a member of the Association of Criminal Lawyers of New Jersey, and a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association (where she has previously served as Co-Chair of the Media Law Committee and Chair of the LGBTQ Rights Section).

CJ received her Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY-Empire State College in 2005 and her Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law in 2009, where she was Research Editor for the Rutgers Law Review. Prior to law school, CJ worked for several nonprofit social justice organizations, including serving as the Executive Director of Identity House of New York City and a Program Associate at the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. CJ is admitted to practice law in both New Jersey and New York. She splits her time between Newark and Brooklyn, with her partner, Jael, and her son, Griffin.

Gwynne A. Wilcox was renominated by President Joseph R. Biden and reconfirmed by the Senate on September 6, 2023, to serve a second term as a Board Member of the National Labor Relations Board ending August 27, 2028. Ms. Wilcox previously served as a Member of the Board from August 4, 2021, until August 27, 2023, and she served as Chair of the Board from December 17, 2024, to January 20, 2025.  Ms. Wilcox is the first Black woman to serve on the Board since its inception in 1935 and is also the first Black woman to serve as Chair of the NLRB. 

On January 27, 2025, President Donald J. Trump removed Ms. Wilcox from the Board prior to her term’s expiration in 2028. Ms. Wilcox was the first Board Member to have been removed in 90 years of the Board's inception in 1935. Ms. Wilcox filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Washington, DC, against President Trump challenging her unprecedented and unlawful termination based upon current statutory law and well-established Supreme Court precedent.  

Previous to her appointment to the Board, Wilcox was a senior partner at Levy Ratner, P.C., a New York City labor and employment law firm. While there, she served as Associate General Counsel of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and as a labor representative to the NYC Office of Collective Bargaining. Prior to joining Levy Ratner, she worked as a Field Attorney at Region 2 of the NLRB in Manhattan. 

Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Wilcox was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Fellow at Middlesex County Legal Services office in New Brunswick, NJ and then continued as a Staff Attorney, handling domestic violence cases and other matters. 

Ms. Wilcox is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. She is the recipient of numerous awards. 
Most recently, Ms. Wilcox was the recipient on February 25, 2025 of a Certificate of Honor from the Rutgers University School-Newark Law School's Minority Student Program, the Association of Black Law Students, Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity, Inc.- Jackson Chapter, the American Constitutional Society and Student Bar Association, celebrating a "trailblazer whose dedication and leadership have elevated the distinction of Rutgers Law School [and] ..honors an unwavering commitment to service, impactful contributions and a role as a guiding force and inspiration for future generations."

In 2023, Ms. Wilcox was recognized by the Rutgers Law School–Newark Minority Student Program (MSP) and was the commencement speaker later that year.

Ms. Wilcox has been the recipient of other awards, including the November 2021 Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award by the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. The award is given to a member, law firm, corporation, organization or academic institution “that has demonstrated leadership in and commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession," the 2017 Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Achievements “in honor of an exceptional career in law and dedication to advancing diversity”; the 2015 Basil Paterson Award at the Amsterdam News Labor Awards Breakfast; the 2015 Brandworkers’ Champion of Economic Justice Award; and the 2009 Peggy Browning Fund Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Prior to joining the Board, Ms. Wilcox was a board member of various organizations, including the Brandworkers; Peggy Browning Fund; Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution of the Cornell University ILR School; Workers Defense League; and the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, now known as the Union Lawyers Alliance. 

Ms. Wilcox had made numerous presentations concerning Board law at many bar associations and other organizations. 

Ms. Wilcox holds a J.D. from Rutgers Law School–Newark and a B.A. from Syracuse University.