On March 11, 2021, NACDL President Christopher W. Adams and the ACDL-NJ President Linda D. Foster released a statement urging Governor Phil Murphy to sign S3456, legislation to repeal mandatory minimums for certain crimes.
On April 20, 2021, NACDL President Christopher W. Adams and ACDL-NJ President Aidan P. O'Connor released a statement in response to Governor Murphy's conditional veto of S3456. Governor Murphy had supported an earlier version of the bill, but withdrew support after the bill was amended to eliminate mandatory minimums for official misconduct. NACDL and ACDL-NJ’s statement expressed disappointment at the governor’s veto while commending a directive from Attorney General Gurbir Grewal requiring prosecutors to waive mandatory minimums for individuals accused of and serving time for nonviolent drug offenses. The statement further reiterates that while NACDL and ACDL-NJ believe that all mandatory minimums should be abolished, the legislature should quickly adopt the governor’s recommendation to exempt official misconduct within the scope of the bill and move swiftly to get this issue back on the Governor’s desk.
