Former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra and New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin were jointly awarded the Outstanding Public Service Award at the New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund’s (NJCAEF) Financial Justice Summit 2025 on Oct. 8.
The awards honored the two leaders for their exceptional integrity and unwavering dedication to protecting American consumers, particularly focusing on financial fairness and civil rights.
A stand against corporate abuse
During the ceremony, the recipients highlighted the growing importance of state-level action in the face of escalating financial threats to consumers.
Former CFPB Director Chopra, a former commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) known for transforming the CFPB into an agency that has returned over $21 billion to consumers, spoke critically of federal enforcement efforts.
“Crimes against consumers are on the rise, and regulators in Washington aren’t lifting a finger to enforce the laws on the books,” Chopra said. “States like New Jersey are stepping up to protect people against corporate abuses and ripoffs. I’m grateful to New Jersey Citizen Action, whose work is needed now more than ever.”
In a video tribute, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren credited Chopra with being instrumental in the CFPB’s creation following the 2008 financial crisis.
N.J.’s dedication to civil rights and consumers
Attorney General Platkin was specifically recognized for his “steadfast dedication to civil rights, fair housing, and consumer finance protection.”
“New Jersey has some of the nation’s strongest consumer protection and civil rights laws because here we know that every person deserves to be treated fairly and equally under the law,” Platkin said. Platkin added that defending the rights of New Jerseyans has been the “honor of a lifetime.”
Platkin’s office has taken aggressive legal action against corporate interests, including a high-profile lawsuit against landlords and software companies accused of colluding to raise rents. His office has also led enforcement actions against employers violating wage laws and supported federal efforts to expand supervision over nonbank digital payment apps like Venmo and Zelle.
Furthermore, under Platkin’s leadership, the Attorney General’s office has successfully defended landmark state legislation, including the Temporary Worker Bill of Rights and New Jersey’s 2024 affordable housing legislation. The office has also challenged federal overreach on issues ranging from birthright citizenship to rollbacks of Affordable Care Act protections.
Beverly Brown Ruggia, Financial Justice Program director for NJCAEF, praised the honorees for striving to ensure that working families and people of color have the financial and consumer protections necessary for economic stability and prosperity.
The Financial Justice Summit 2025 itself focused on crucial state-level issues, including possible solutions to New Jersey’s housing crisis, strategies to address medical debt, and the benefits of a state Community Reinvestment Act.
