Touts Justice, Safety and Fairness as the Basis of Campaign
An Immigrant, Tali Brings Record of Delivering on Cutting Edge Criminal Justice Reform
NEW YORK – Tali Farhadian Weinstein today announced her candidacy for Manhattan District Attorney. Until recently, Tali served as the General Counsel to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, where she has helped develop a bold and progressive approach to criminal prosecution that has become a national model. As Manhattan District Attorney, Tali will bring her proven history of delivering racially and economically inclusive criminal justice reforms to the nation’s premier local prosecutor’s office.
To view Tali’s announcement video, click here.
“People across the nation and our city are calling for transformational change in the criminal justice system, and we need a leader who can respond to that call here in Manhattan,” said Manhattan District Attorney candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein. “As Manhattan DA, I will not pursue unnecessary and unfair prosecutions that perpetuate racial injustice and poverty, and will instead use our resources to go after cases that legitimately promote public safety – like gender-based violence, gun violence and white-collar crimes. By doing less, we can do more to ensure a safe and just city for those who live and work here.”
In Brooklyn, Tali worked with the most progressive DA in New York — and perhaps the country — to transform the office and increase fairness and safety for everyone. Dedicated to the principle that everyone is equal under the law, she helped build and led a new, stand-alone Law Enforcement Accountability Bureau.
Tali also designed and led the first Post-Conviction Justice Bureau in the country, to ensure that prosecutors’ responsibility to pursue justice and public safety continues after a conviction is final. And her team recently published a study and analysis of 25 wrongful convictions that had resulted in a stunning 426 years of unjust incarceration — a report that gave the public unprecedented access to mistakes in local prosecution and the path forward.
Tali and her team sued ICE for arresting noncitizens in and around state courthouses — and won. As an immigrant whose family came to New York City to escape violence and religious persecution in Iran, Tali understands the mistrust people often feel when interacting with law enforcement. The 2020 decision from the federal bench was particularly important because ICE’s policy had a chilling effect on survivors of domestic violence who had become afraid to seek justice.
“What we achieved in Brooklyn is the result of dedicated efforts to change the culture of our criminal justice system,” Weinstein said. “We started with the principle that incarceration is always a last resort, and that prosecution must be fair, ethical, and committed to public safety at every step. As district attorney, I intend to likewise deliver on fairness, safety, and justice for all Manhattanites.”
Tali is a proven prosecutor and criminal justice reformer. Prior to working with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Tali worked throughout Barack Obama’s presidency in the US Department of Justice, first as Counsel to Attorney General Eric Holder, and then as a federal prosecutor in New York’s Eastern District.
“As a native New Yorker born, raised, and educated in the city I love, I have a particular interest in the future of the Manhattan DA’s Office, and its next leader. At a time when the integrity of our justice system is at question, we must select an extraordinary individual for whom fairness, safety and equity aren’t just goals, but realities she has already helped deliver. For those reasons, I enthusiastically endorse Tali Farhadian Weinstein as the Democratic nominee for Manhattan DA,” said Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney General of the United States.
Like so many immigrants, Tali’s parents had the courage to sacrifice everything and face uncertainty in an unfamiliar country so she and her siblings could grow up experiencing safety, fairness, and justice. Tali, in turn, has dedicated her career to fighting for those principles.
After earning degrees from Yale College, Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and Yale Law School, Tali was a law clerk for Judge Merrick B. Garland at the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, and at the US Supreme Court for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Throughout her career, Tali has investigated, prosecuted and supervised cases ranging from gun violence and murders to public corruption, tax and other frauds and national security matters.
Like her mother, Tali is also a teacher. She has taught immigration law and policy at Columbia Law School and is currently Adjunct Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law at NYU Law School, where she teaches on the role of the DA in criminal justice reform. Tali is a national expert on the transformation of local prosecution happening around the country today.
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