James Pfeiffer, Warren County prosecutor/courtesy photo

James Pfeiffer, a former state Superior Court judge and longtime private practitioner handling defense and municipal work, was named acting Warren County prosecutor.

The appointment, effective Nov. 1, was announced Monday by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal's office.

Pfeiffer replaces Richard Burke, the Warren County prosecutor since March 2012, who is taking a role in Grewal's office.

Pfeiffer grew up in a working-class home in Alpha Borough and knows the county well, according to the release, and he said he was "deeply honored" to represent his home county as acting prosecutor.

"I pledge that I will make the most of this opportunity to serve the people of Warren County and to advance the dual goals of justice and public safety," Pfeiffer said in a statement.

Burke is becoming an assistant attorney general with the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. OPIA handles all public integrity matters within the Attorney General's Office and includes a team of prosecutors and detectives from the Division of Criminal Justice and New Jersey State Police. The unit reports to the attorney general as it investigates and prosecutes cases that implicate or undermine the public's confidence in government and the criminal justice system, such as allegations of civil rights violations involving law enforcement officers and agencies, as well as wrongful-conviction claims.

"I commend Prosecutor Burke for his excellent leadership as county prosecutor," Grewal said, who singled out Burke's role in helping to develop critical initiatives between the community and local law enforcement in dealing with active-shooter situations and other emergencies.

Grewal said Burke's replacement knows the county quite well, too, and that Pfeiffer's three decades in private practice as a criminal defense attorney and municipal prosecutor will serve him well in the new role.

Pfeiffer received his law degree from Western Michigan University, Thomas M. Cooley School of Law, in 1986 and embarked on what would become a decadeslong legal career.

He is a founding partner of Pfeiffer Bruno, a general practice firm based in Phillipsburg, with a second office in Easton, Pennsylvania, that handles personal injury, criminal defense, municipal law and land use law, among other areas.

From 2005 through 2007, Pfeiffer served as a Superior Court judge in the Somerset-Warren-Hunterdon vicinage before returning to private practice.

"James Pfeiffer is a talented and dedicated attorney who is committed to working for the people of Warren County," Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. "I am confident that Acting Prosecutor Pfeiffer will play an important role in working toward a criminal justice system that treats everyone fairly and impartially."

As a criminal defense attorney, Pfeiffer represented Patricia Rorrer, who was tried for capital murder in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The case was the first time that mitochondrial DNA was used in a criminal prosecution in that state, and Rorrer avoided the death penalty, according to the release from the Attorney General's Office.

On the municipal front, Pfeiffer served as township attorney for Greenwich Township for six years, and as its labor and tax attorney for the past four years. He also was municipal prosecutor for Greenwich, Phillipsburg, Allamuchy, Knowlton, Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick and Franklin.

Pfeiffer "has deep roots in Warren County, where he grew up and where he has had a very distinguished legal career," Grewal said. "With his vast legal knowledge and experience, as well as his commitment to the county, Jim Pfeiffer will be an outstanding leader for the Warren County Prosecutor's Office."