Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut Awarded Affirmative Leaders Fellowship; Distinct Honor Following Rigorous Selection Process for Attorneys Nationwide

Fellowship to Provide Leadership & Community-based Response Initiatives Directly Applicable to Local Community

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop announces Jersey City’s Municipal Prosecutor, Jake Hudnut, has been selected for the second cohort of the Public Rights Project’s Affirmative Leaders Fellowship, a program created to help attorneys in state and local governments across the country expand their capacity to protect residents’ legal rights.

“The work learned in this fellowship will help Jersey City continue to stand up against slumlords, local polluters, and any other businesses that take advantage of underserved communities,” said Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut.  “I’m extremely humbled and excited to be representing Jersey City in this fellowship.”

After a national search, the Public Rights Project selected Prosecutor Hudnut as one of a talented and diverse cohort of fellows from 32 state and local government offices in 15 states. The Municipal Prosecutor is noted by the Fellowship for his work issuing the first-in-the-state policy decriminalizing marijuana possession, creating a diversionary program for Veterans, and launching in-court service referrals for domestic violence victims. Hudnut has also been the lead of the Mayor’s Quality of Life Task Force since its inception in 2019, targeting the worst quality of life offenders to protect residents against everything from price gouging to unsafe housing situations.

“This is a great opportunity for Prosecutor Hudnut to expand the depth of knowledge around leadership and community-based response efforts that he will be able to bring back to Jersey City and apply to the direct benefit of our city enforcement,” said Mayor Fulop.

Fellows will receive one year of training and professional development aimed at strengthening and applying skills in impact litigation, coalition-building, community engagement, doing racial justice work, and public leadership. They will hone tools and strategies to work on a range of civil rights, economic justice, and environmental protection issues that directly impact vulnerable populations in their communities and across the country. This support will enable fellows to initiate, expand, or deepen the impact of their office’s equitable enforcement efforts.

“We are thrilled to welcome our second cohort of the Affirmative Leaders Fellowship. They are immensely talented, passionate about social justice, and engaged in crucial work in their communities,” said PRP Legal Director Jonathan Miller. “Our program pushes these lawyers to see beyond their perceived limits of government advocacy. They will acquire knowledge and skills to bring back to their colleagues and develop connections with lawyers from across the county. When combined, these experiences result in more rights enforcement, more collaborative and creative advocacy, and better community-connected work.”

All 2020 Affirmative Leaders Fellows can be found here.