Montclair State University: NJ Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal to be Given Honorary Degree – TAPinto.net

MONTCLAIR, NJ – New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal will be given an honorary degree from Montclair State University on January 17.

According to a release, the Board of Trustees at Montclair State University has named Grewal as the honorary degree recipient for its January 2020 Graduate School Commencement ceremony, where he will provide the keynote address to the graduating class and receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. The commencement will take place at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

“Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has been an advocate for the less fortunate, a champion of the rule of law, and a principled defender of the American ideals of liberty and justice for all,” says Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole.

“As a New Jersey native and the son of immigrant parents, Attorney General Grewal is an outstanding role model for our students. His career illustrates what can be accomplished with a good education and a determination to do constructive work in the world.”

“Montclair State University reflects the diversity and dynamism of this great state, and I’m honored to speak at this year’s Graduate Commencement ceremony,” says Attorney General Grewal.

“I look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the graduating students and sharing a few thoughts with all of them on their special day.”

Grewal’s career includes more than 15 years of public service. Since assuming office as the state’s 61st Attorney General in 2018, he has focused on protecting the interests of residents by expanding affirmative litigation, strengthening police-community relations, reducing violent crime and fighting New Jersey’s opioid epidemic.

Before becoming New Jersey’s Attorney General, Grewal served as the chief law enforcement officer of the most populated county in the state as Bergen County Prosecutor. His accomplishments included the implementation of “Operation Helping Hand,” a program offering low-level drug offenders treatment options upon arrest to help fight the heroin and opioid crisis. He also established a Community Affairs Unit to assist local police departments to improve community relations.

From 2010-2016, Grewal served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for New Jersey. As chief of the Economic Crimes Unit from 2014-2016, he was the lead prosecutor in United States v. Drinkman, et al., the largest-known data breach prosecution in U.S. history. Before becoming a New Jersey federal prosecutor, Grewal served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the state of New York from 2004-2007 after a period in private practice.

Grewal graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in foreign service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1995, and obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999.