New York, NY (November 3, 2021) – The entire New York Law School (NYLS) community proudly congratulates our friend and colleague, NYLS Visiting Professor and NYLS Racial Justice Project Co-Director Alvin Bragg, for making New York City history with his election as the next Manhattan District Attorney. District Attorney-Elect Bragg’s vision for a better New York will be felt far beyond Manhattan. As the head of one of the nation’s historically pre-eminent law enforcement agencies, District Attorney-Elect Bragg’s plans for the Office will be ones that influence the reshaping of the U.S. criminal justice system.
District Attorney-Elect Bragg’s lived experience and entire career has prepared him for this new mandate. Serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, and most recently, before coming to NYLS, as New York State Chief Deputy Attorney General, he worked to make our system of justice responsive and fair for everyone. New Yorkers, including countless current and future law students, and especially those from underrepresented communities, will be further inspired and empowered by the District Attorney-Elect to create lasting change. For the past three years, the District Attorney-Elect’s groundbreaking work at NYLS has demonstrated to our entire community how empathy and compassion must be at the center of effective lawyering, regardless of what side of the system one represents.
Only blocks away from the Law School’s campus, we are deeply aware of the legacy and history of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where many of our alumni currently serve. At a time when criminal justice reform is at the forefront of our city, state, and national dialogues, District Attorney-Elect Bragg is poised to write a new chapter as historic and impactful as any the Manhattan DA’s Office has ever seen. We stand ready to support his efforts to do the work necessary to ensure equal justice under the law. And, we look forward to his continued influence at NYLS in his new role as a Distinguished Adjunct Professor.
Once again, on behalf of our entire Law School community, we congratulate District Attorney-Elect Alvin Bragg.