The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday (June 29, 2021), tapped New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to head its enforcement unit tasked with policing markets, changing tack after the previous pick stepped down days in to the job.
New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy named Gurbir S Grewal as his nominee to serve as the next Attorney General of the state. With this nomination, Grewal will become the first Sikh- American attorney general in the country. He has been New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer since early 2018 after a lifetime working in government outside of stints earlier in his career. He previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey where he led the office’s economic crimes unit.
Grewal obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999. He was a president of SABA New York and a member of the New Jersey Asian Pacific American lawyers Association.
Grewal has a track record of pushing progressive issues, from prosecuting automobile lenders and credit card companies to going after allegedly discriminatory practices. As New Jersey’s attorney general he repeatedly sued the Trump administration. He has also targeted cryptocurrency fraud and led the largest known prosecution of a data breach, according to New Jersey government websites. “He has the ideal combination of experience, values, and leadership ability to helm the enforcement division,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with him to protect investors and root out wrongdoing in our markets.