Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) today announced that former U.S. Senator Robert Menendez has been permanently barred from holding any public office or position of public trust in New Jersey, in the wake of his convictions for various federal crimes.

Menendez, a longtime senator and former chairman of the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, was forever disqualified from holding office or any position of honor, trust, or profit in state or local government by New Jersey Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy, the Mercer County Assignment Judge.

According to the court’s order, if Menendez applies for public office or employment or takes any steps to campaign, run for, or be appointed or elected to public office, he will face a fourth-degree contempt-of-court charge.

Following a nine-week jury trial, Menendez was convicted on July 16, 2024 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York of several criminal counts, including conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice. In January 2025, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

“Critical to preserving the public's faith and trust in government institutions is ensuring that elected officials who commit crimes involving their offices don’t find new opportunities to regain positions of power,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Too many people in New Jersey have a cynical viewpoint that corruption is a routine, widespread feature of our politics. We hope the court’s decision sends a message that it is not acceptable and it will carry consequences.”

Menendez and his wife Nadine Menendez were convicted after, according to a federal investigation, they took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes between 2018 and 2022, including gold, cash, a luxury convertible, home furnishings, and other things of value. In exchange, Menendez agreed to use his power and influence on Capitol Hill to protect the bribe payers' interests and to benefit foreign countries, including taking a series of official acts to benefit the government of Egypt.

The disqualification order was obtained by Deputy Attorney General Adam Klein, Special Assistant to the OPIA Executive Director, under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Director Jeffrey J. Manis and OPIA Executive Director Eric L. Gibson.