Paul J. Fishman

Paul J. Fishman (born February 26, 1957) is an American attorney and former United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2009 to 2017.

Early life and education Fishman was born on February 26, 1957, in New York City to a Jewish family. He grew up in River Edge, Bergen County, New Jersey, and attended River Dell Regional High School. He graduated from Princeton University magna cum laude.

After receiving his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1982, he served as law clerk to Edward R. Becker, a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, from 1982 to 1983. He was sworn into office on October 14, 2009, along with his First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Gil Childers. Fishman succeeded Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, who had served after the resignation of Chris Christie in December 2008 to run for Governor of New Jersey. After he was fired by incoming Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2017, he joined the faculty of Seton Hall Law School as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow.

Fishman is a registered Democrat and resides in Montclair. He is married with two children. He is also a board member of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in Little Falls.

Fort Lee lane closure scandal Fishman led the investigation involving the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. The resulting indictment led to the guilty plea of David Weinstein as well as the trial of Bridget Ann Kelly and Bill Baroni. After a month long trial, Kelly and Baroni were both convicted of nine counts. On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions of Kelly and Baroni.