Executive Summary
- Gov. Phil Murphy issued a pardon for Harris L. Jacobs on his final day in office.
- The pardon halted a prosecution related to a September 2022 hit-and-run incident.
- Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds criticized the move, citing the influence of “political power.”
- Jacobs is identified as the son of a regular New Jersey campaign donor.
On his final day in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued nearly 100 pardons, including a controversial grant of clemency for Atlantic City resident Harris L. Jacobs, which effectively terminated an active hit-and-run prosecution. The executive action has drawn sharp criticism from local law enforcement authorities who had been pursuing the case for several years.
The pardon nullified over three years of investigative work by the Atlantic City Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office regarding a hit-and-run incident that occurred on September 4, 2022. According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds, whose office led the effort to convict Jacobs, the decision undermines the work of local authorities committed to public safety.
Reports indicate that Harris Jacobs is the son of a frequent New Jersey campaign donor. In a statement addressing the pardon, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office explicitly bemoaned the role of “political power and connections” in securing the release, suggesting that the decision bypassed the standard judicial process typically afforded to such cases.
Judicial Independence and Executive Clemency
The exercise of gubernatorial pardon powers often invites scrutiny regarding the balance between executive clemency and the autonomy of local prosecutorial efforts. In this instance, the intervention halts the judicial process before a verdict could be reached, raising questions regarding the intersection of political influence and criminal justice administration. While the pardon legally absolves the individual of the specific consequences, it highlights the tension between state-level executive privilege and county-level judicial enforcement. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
