New Jersey’s acting attorney general said Tuesday she will not ask the state Supreme Court to review the dismissal of racketeering charges against Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III and those charged with him.
The decision by Jennifer Davenport, who was recently appointed by new Gov. Mickey Sherrill, comes nearly three weeks after a three-judge appeals panel upheld a state judge’s decision to dismiss criminal charges. The indictment was obtained by Matt Platkin, who served as attorney general under Sherrill’s predecessor, fellow Democrat Phil Murphy.
“Based on the Appellate Division’s decision, we have concluded that our prosecutorial resources would be better spent on other matters,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement. “In this time of growing distrust of government, our office remains committed to prioritizing the prosecution of public corruption.”
The charges stem from an indictment announced by Plakin at a press conference in June 2024, at which Norcross himself took the unusual step of appearing in person and sitting directly in front of the attorney general.
Norcross and five other defendants are accused of running “an enterprise” starting in 2012 and using their political influence to enact legislation to serve their own interests. But in a nearly 100-page ruling, a state judge found that prosecutors’ allegations did not amount to criminal coercion or extortion and were beyond the statute of limitations.
Norcross and his attorneys have long maintained his innocence, claiming the indictment was politically motivated, a charge Platkin has repeatedly denied.
Norcross, a former executive chairman of insurance company Conner Strong & Buckelew, is widely considered one of the state’s most powerful unelected Democrats. He has served as a member of the Democratic National Committee until 2021 and previously served as leader of the Camden County Democratic Party.