Leadership

Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy is a former Morris County Prosecutor and candidate for Governor of New Jersey who has been practicing law for 35 years. He is a registered lobbyist and co-founder of Impact NJ, LLC and has been involved in politics since the first gubernatorial campaign of his stepfather, two-term New Jersey Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes.

Politicker has repeatedly identified Mr. Murphy on its annual Power List as one of the state’s “100 most politically influential personalities,” and New Jersey Monthly has listed him in its “Power Issue” of the Garden State’s most influential people.

During his run for Governor in the 1997 Democratic primary, Mr. Murphy’s candidacy defined and addressed issues of importance to voters throughout the state. He succeeded in winning 5 counties and placing second in 12. As Morris County’s top law enforcement official, Mr. Murphy quickly established a reputation as a tough, honest, and effective leader. Mr. Murphy began the Morris County Bias Crimes Unit and structured the county’s first Human Relations Commission. For his leadership on these issues, he received a “Good Guy Award” from the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey and the prestigious national Hannah G. Solomon award from the National Council of Jewish Women in recognition of his “outstanding faith and humanity in the community.” In addition, he served as President of the New Jersey Prosecutors Association and chaired the association’s Legislative Committee. He has testified before numerous state and federal legislative committees on a broad variety of issues.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law, Mr. Murphy served as a public defender, municipal attorney, municipal prosecutor, county prosecutor, and in private practice, specializing in such areas as land use planning, products liability, and civil and corporate litigation. In 2005, then-Governor Codey appointed Mr. Murphy to the Garden State Preservation Trust, which he chaired until 2007. Mr. Murphy is currently a Visiting Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.