Today, Governor Murphy stood strong against entrenched, corrupt interests in Trenton by conditionally vetoing a deeply flawed criminal justice reform bill that wildly diverged from the state’s criminal justice reform commission.

This bill included a provision that would have decriminalized public corruption at the behest of a state senator, whose girlfriend’s son is facing corruption charges. Even worse, it would have removed a critical tool in the fight for law enforcement accountability, as “official misconduct” is frequently used by prosecutors to charge police and corrections officers who commit serious offenses. Several corrections officers allegedly involved in the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility have been charged with official misconduct.

It is unacceptable that a piece of legislation aimed at addressing generations of systemic racism could become laden with a provision that benefits corrupt cops and corrupt politicians – some of same people who perpetuate these inequities in the first place.

And though we are pleased that Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has issued a directive that accomplishes many of the same goals that criminal justice reformers have advocated for by allowing prosecutors to set aside mandatory minimums for certain drug-related offenses, it is essential that the Legislature get back to work and pass a clean version of this bill to prevent another attorney general from rolling back needed reforms.

Over-policed Black and brown communities have been waiting long enough. It’s time to move past inside political games and work to provide justice for all New Jerseyans.