Jennifer Davenport
Jennifer Davenport became the Acting Attorney General of New Jersey on January 20, 2026.
As New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer, the Attorney General oversees over 42,000 state and local law enforcement officers and the 8,000 employees of the Department of Law and Public Safety. The Department’s responsibilities touch upon nearly every aspect of life in New Jersey. Its sweeping responsibilities include investigating and prosecuting crimes, representing state interests in court, and enforcing strong consumer protection and civil rights statutes. As Attorney General, Jennifer’s priorities include protecting our communities from gun violence; combating human trafficking; protecting the physical and mental health of children, including from threats online; promoting a robust affordability agenda; and protecting New Jersey residents from attacks on their pocketbooks and their rights coming out of Washington, DC.
Jennifer arrives to the position of Attorney General with a long career in public service and with law enforcement. Jennifer served for four years as New Jersey’s First Assistant Attorney General and Principal Law Enforcement Advisor, where Jennifer worked with law enforcement leaders and prosecutors across the State to promote public safety, including by tackling gun crimes and human trafficking. Jennifer previously spent seven years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, including as Chief of the General Crimes Unit, where she trained new prosecutors and oversaw gang prosecutions.
Jennifer also spent years working within law enforcement agencies. Jennifer served as Division Counsel to the New Jersey Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, working to help DEA tackle the fentanyl crisis. She served as the New Jersey Commissioner on the Waterfront Commission, where she tackled corruption in the New York and New Jersey harbors. And before and during law school, she worked as an intelligence analyst at the DEA.
Jennifer served in the private sector as a Senior Director for Compliance and as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Litigation Counsel at PSEG. She worked as a litigation associate at two major national law firms. And early in her career, she clerked for Chief Judge John W. Bissell of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Jennifer graduated from DeSales University and received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. Jennifer grew up in Cape May County and she currently lives in Monmouth County with her two daughters.
