Jersey City Corporation Counsel’s letter to city officials

Jersey City Corporation Counsel Sarah Michael Levine sent the following letter to city council members, department directors and City Hall colleagues on October 13, 2026:

I write to share troubling developments concerning my service as Corporation Counsel.

Last week, I provided notice of my resignation effective November 20, 2026. In doing so, I made clear to the Mayor and senior officials that it was my sincerest hope to facilitate an orderly transition. I expressed my willingness to remain available, paid or unpaid, for as long as necessary to ensure continuity of legal representation and avoid disruption to the Law Department’s operations.

This was essential because the Law Department remains profoundly understaffed. I believe that an abrupt departure, without any meaningful transition, will pose serious risks to the functioning of an already overburdened Law Department and, by extension, to the City and its residents. I see no rational benefit or public interest served by reducing the Law Department by one more attorney who has consistently, faithfully served the City.

Unfortunately, the administration has elected not to pursue the cooperative transition I envisioned. Instead, I was informed this weekend that the administration intends to treat October 16 as my final day of service. I have since been locked out of City systems that are necessary to perform my job, including City email, Microsoft Teams, and electronic files. I have been instructed that I am under the supervision of the Business Administrator and that I am to limit the scope of my duties. I have further been instructed that I am not to enter City Hall. This morning, administration officials entered my office with boxes and instructions to pack my belongings.

Legally, I remain the duly appointed and confirmed Corporation Counsel—attorney of record in all litigation involving the City and counsel to the Municipal Council and Departments. But these limitations imposed on me are an existential threat to my ethical obligations as an attorney and my official responsibilities as the City’s attorney. I cannot competently and diligently represent the City, the Municipal Council, or Departments while being denied access to my clients, my files, and the attorneys and staff whose work I am charged with supervising. Nor can I responsibly discharge my obligations as counsel of record in pending litigation without the ability to communicate freely with clients and opposing counsel, review relevant materials, and otherwise direct the City’s legal representation. These are not matters of personal convenience or professional preference. These are indispensable prerequisites to the ethical practice of law. Just this morning, these limitations interfered with my ability to appear in a mandatory court conference in a pending federal litigation, for which I—and no other Department attorney—was prepared.

I have repeatedly communicated the stakes of these misguided actions to multiple members of the administration and demanded to be fully reinstated on City systems. These demands have not been met or substantively addressed. Department Directors are entitled to statutory protections and procedures regarding removal. Those procedures have not been followed or completed to date. And yet, by depriving me of the ability to perform the essential functions of my office, the administration has effectuated my constructive termination, even before its own unilaterally-designated departure date.

I take my responsibilities as Corporation Counsel profoundly seriously. It is devastating to be placed in a position where I am ready, willing, and obligated to perform my duties but am prevented from doing so. This is an untenable professional and ethical position. Accordingly, with a broken heart, I inform you of my termination, effective today. Future requests for legal assistance should be directed to the Law Department and not to me.

Finally, I want to address one additional matter. Public reporting has suggested that my departure can be explained, at least in part, by frustration with interactions at Council meetings, whether with Councilmembers or the public. Nothing could be further from the truth. It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as counsel to the governing body of my hometown. It has been a privilege to advise the Council, answer its questions, and engage at times with the residents whose interests we are here to serve. Where there have been disagreements, misunderstandings, and admittedly even moments of frustration, I understand those to be part of the ordinary, necessary, and ultimately healthy functioning of democratic government. Public scrutiny, vigorous questioning, and robust debate are not inconveniences to be endured; they are essential features of the democratic process. It saddens me to see any suggestion that I regarded them otherwise.

I remain grateful for the opportunity to serve with you and for your continued commitment to the City we love.

Sincerely,

Sarah Michael Levine