Now, as the state's newest Attorney General, Chiesa is the one setting the agenda and overseeing a dozen divisions, more than 650 attorneys, and the State Police.
In an hour-long interview with The Associated Press, he said it's a role he never envisioned for himself but one worth embracing.
"I didn't appreciate the scope of the work that's done here," he said from his office overlooking the Delaware River in Trenton.
He listed rooting out corruption by public officials, stemming urban violence, and stopping child pornographers and human traffickers as his top priorities, but also said some things would stay the same.
He won't overturn an edict by his predecessor, Paula Dow, blocking access to records showing how much overtime is paid to New Jersey state troopers and other state law enforcement officers, including any document that reveals an officer's assignment. The rule was enacted last month as part of several measures to make more records confidential, including those that detail background investigations or evaluations for job applicants and those dealing with employee discipline, discharges or promotions.
"I would be really opposed to giving names of law enforcement officers in any way because it just increases the danger they are exposed to," Chiesa said. "In terms of transparency, it's important to see the money that's being spent, and I think that information has been available."
Open government advocates were critical of the move, saying taxpayers have a right to track public spending, including overtime.
Records obtained by the Statehouse Bureau of The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record newspaper before the new policy took effect show troopers earned more than $25 million in overtime last year and nearly $16 million as of September this year.
Chiesa said he supports a proposal by Christie to place non-violent drug offenders in rehabilitation centers rather than prison: "I think it's a great idea."
He also said he wouldn't support a reinstatement of the death penalty. The longtime prosecutor said his opinion on the topic has evolved over the years and he wouldn't advocate for bringing it back. In 2007, New Jersey became the first state to abolish the death penalty in more than 40 years.
"You can't be wrong about it, and as good as our system is, there are going to be times when you are wrong about it," he said.
As the lead law enforcement officer for the state, Chiesa will oversee the state's defense of the civil union laws, which were passed five years ago by the Legislature after the state Supreme Court stopped just short of allowing same-sex nuptials.
The case went back to court as gay marriage advocates argued the law wasn't working and in November Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg ruled there was a legitimate claim that the state's civil union law does not afford equal protection under the law while dismissing part of the suit that argues that gay couples have a fundamental right to marriage in the state.
Chiesa said he would continue to argue that the law on civil unions is constitutional.
"Yes, I will defend those laws as constitutional, sure," he said, adding, "It's not my role to get into the policy of that in terms of what the Legislative or Executive branches do."
Christie supports civil unions but has said he'll veto any legislation sent to him by the Democratically-controlled Legislature to legalize gay marriage.
Chiesa, 46, was confirmed on Jan. 9 by the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the toughest question he was asked was about his interaction with the governor's office and whether any criminal matters would be discussed with the governor's office. He promised the matters wouldn't be talked about and was approved 37-0.
The move capped a two-year run as the governor's chief counsel, where he sat within earshot of the governor's desk, and a 20-year relationship that began when Christie interviewed Chiesa as a law clerk for the firm Dughi & Hewit. Chiesa would spend nine years in the U.S. Attorney's Office before leaving for a short stint as a partner at the law firm of Wolff & Samson, before heading to work on Christie's transition team.
Raised in Bound Brook, he attended the University of Notre Dame as an undergrad and went on to get a law degree from the Catholic University of America.
When Chiesa's not working, he said he's fishing or rooting for Notre Dame, adding: "When they lose, my Saturdays are wrecked." Mostly he said he spends his free time with his family - wife Jenny, son Al, 13, and daughter Hannah, 10 - who all make sure he doesn't let the power of his office go to his head.
"My wife and children never let me forget what my first job is or where I rank in terms of influence in our house," he said, "which is fourth, by a long shot."
