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Jim Johnson (New Jersey politician)

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Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson addressing the crowd
United States Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement
PresidentBill Clinton
Personal details
Born
James E. Johnson

(1960-12-29) December 29, 1960 (age 64)
Political partyDemocratic Party
EducationHarvard University (BA), Harvard University (JD)

Jim Johnson (born December 29, 1960) is an American political candidate, attorney, and community activist, who was formerly an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, where he received the Hamilton Award, the Department of Treasury’s highest award[1]. He is currently a Democratic Party candidate in the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial race.[2][3][4] If elected, Johnson would be the first African-American governor of New Jersey.[5]

Johnson also served as co-chair of the National Church Arson Task Force alongside former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, chaired the board at the Brennan Center for Justice, co-founded the non-profit group New Jersey Communities Forward and was appointed as the federal affordable housing monitor in Westchester County, NY.[6][7][8]

Early Life

Johnson was born in Montclair, New Jersey to Byerte W. Johnson and Edward James Johnson III.[9] [10]Johnson attended Montclair Kimberley Academy, from which he later received a Distinguished Alumni Award.[11] After MKA, Johnson attended Harvard College, where he received a B.A. in Social Studies and graduated cum laude in 1983. He also graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, receiving his J.D. in 1986.[9]

Professional Career

After law school, Johnson served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, successfully prosecuting a wide variety of criminal cases and rising to the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.[9]

Clinton Administration

During the Clinton administration, Johnson held several senior positions in the United States Department of the Treasury. He began as the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, during which President Bill Clinton asked him to co-chair the National Church Arson Task Force, formed in response to a wave of arsons reported at African American churches throughout the South.[12] In 1998, Johnson became the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement, overseeing the operations of one third of federal law enforcement, including the United States Secret Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the United States Customs Service.[9] In total, Johnson oversaw approximately 29,000 employees and a $4.2 billion budget.[1] In the wake of the Columbine High School Massacre, Johnson was one of the first officials on the ground and fought to close the gun-show loophole that contributed to the massacre.[13]

Community Activism

After serving in the Clinton administration, Johnson returned to private practice as a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton. He continued his commitment to public service by chairing the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law,[14] where he worked to protect the right to vote, reduce crime and incarceration and advocated for families facing foreclosure.[15]

In 2006, Johnson led the State of New Jersey’s Advisory Committee on Police Standards,[16] formed to develop a set of proposals to ensure that the state trooper’s progress in eliminating racial profiling became permanent. Johnson’s work led to a change in the law that has transformed the relationship between state troopers and civilian leadership.[14]

In 2009, Johnson was selected by a federal judge to oversee the settlement of an affordable housing conflict between the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Westchester County, NY. His task was to hold officials accountable for fulfilling the terms of the consent decree.[17]

Since 2014, Johnson has brought together members of New Jersey’s civil rights and law enforcement communities in a collaboration known as New Jersey Communities Forward – a project within the NJ Institute for Social Justice. NJCF contributed heavily to the new policies on police worn body cameras, independent shooting reviews and implicit bias training.[14]

2017 New Jersey Gubernatorial Campaign

Johnson announced on October 31 that he was filing the paperwork necessary to become a candidate for Governor of New Jersey.[18] He later named his campaign leadership team, which includes Doug Rubin, former strategist for Deval Patrick and Elizabeth Warren, Bill Hyers, former campaign manager to Bill de Blasio and John del Cecato, one of President Obama’s media strategists.[19] A January National Journal profile of Johnson said, “John­son’s wonky nature, soft-spoken de­mean­or, and de­sire for con­sensus couldn’t be more of a con­trast from out­go­ing Gov. Chris Christie...If the New Jer­sey gov­ernor race was de­cided by résumés, John­son would be con­sidered a top con­tender.”[20] NJTV's David Cruz called him "the most intriguing gubernatorial candidate you've never heard of."[21] Johnson has been critical of Republicans and Democrats in New Jersey, most recently on proposed legislation that would have given Gov. Christie the ability to sign a book deal.[22] On January 10, Johnson announced that he was the first candidate to have reached the fundraising threshold necessary to qualify for public matching funds.[23]

Personal Life

Johnson is married to Nancy Northup, the president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.[10] The pair have four children, Natalie, Abby, Miles and Amalya.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "James E. Johnson".
  2. ^ "Jim Johnson Talks Gubernatorial Race | Video | NJTV News". NJTV News.
  3. ^ "Power & Politics". News 12 New Jersey.
  4. ^ "Watch now: On the Record | Introducing…Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Johnson | NJTV Public Media NJ Video".
  5. ^ "List of Governors of New Jersey". Wikipedia. 29 January 2017.
  6. ^ "First Year Report for the President".
  7. ^ "James E. Johnson Retires from Brennan Center Board - Brennan Center for Justice".
  8. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (7 July 2016). "Dispute as Westchester Housing Pact Nears End: Did the County Honor It?" – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ^ a b c d "Nomination of James E. Johnson" (PDF).
  10. ^ a b "Nancy Northup, James Johnson". 31 August 2014 – via NYTimes.com.
  11. ^ "MKA News".
  12. ^ adminacps. "Advisory Committee on Police Standards - James E. Johnson".
  13. ^ "Remarks James E. Johnson Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement Before the Mayors Gun Task Force Louisville, Kentucky".
  14. ^ a b c "There's trauma on both sides of the police-community relationship".
  15. ^ "Our Mission - Brennan Center for Justice". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ adminacps. "Advisory Committee on Police Standards - Committee Members".
  17. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (7 July 2016). "Dispute as Westchester Housing Pact Nears End: Did the County Honor It?" – via NYTimes.com.
  18. ^ "Montclair Native Jim Johnson Announces Gubernatorial Run". 31 October 2016.
  19. ^ "NJ Gubernatorial Candidate Johnson Announces Leadership Team". 12 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Jim Johnson Running Ignored Campaign".
  21. ^ "Watch now: On the Record | Introducing…Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Johnson | NJTV Public Media NJ Video".
  22. ^ "On Book Deal, Gubernatorial Hopeful Comes Down on Both Parties". Observer. 19 December 2016.
  23. ^ "Little-known N.J. governor candidate says he reached key fundraising mark".
  24. ^ "Meet Jim - Jim Johnson".
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