Brooklyn Prosecutor Announces Run For Manhattan DA

MANHATTAN, NY — A high-ranking lawyer in the Brooklyn district attorney's office announced her run for Manhattan District Attorney this week, joining a crowded field of prosecutors, legislators and public-service attorneys.

Tali Farhadian Weinstein launched her campaign Monday by emphasizing her record as a "progressive" prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA's office, where she pushed for "racially and economically inclusive criminal justice reforms."

"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," Weinstein said in a statement.

Weinstein helped develop the Brooklyn DA's stand-alone Law Enforcement Accountability Bureaa to investigate police misconduct and its Post-Conviction Justice Bureau to uncover prosecutorial misconduct in past convictions. The post-conviction unit recently identified 25 wrongful convictions, Weinstein said.

Prior to her work with the Brooklyn DA's office, Weinstein worked in the U.S. Department of Justice during President Barack Obama's administration under former Attorney General Eric Holder. Weinstein also served as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York. Holder has endorsed Weinstein's run for Manhattan DA.

Weinstein, the child of immigrants who fled persecution in Iran, also has a background in legal education. She has taught immigration law and policy at Columbia Law School and courses on the role of prosecutors in criminal justice reform at the NYU School of Law.

A host of attorneys with varying backgrounds in the legal field have announced challenges to incumbent Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. for the 2021 election. Candidates include: State Assemblymember Dan Quart, former top deputy in the state Attorney General's office Alvin Bragg, civil rights lawyer Janos Marton, public defense attorney Eliza Orlins, civil rights attorney Tahanie Aboushi and former Manhattan prosecutor Liz Crotty.

Weinstein released a campaign announcement video Monday: