Manhattan District Attorney Race: Tali Farhadian Weinstein

NEW YORK, NY — Voters in Manhattan will see eight names on the Democratic ballot and one on the Republican when they vote in the June 22 primary election for Manhattan District Attorney.

One of those names will be Tali Farhadian Weinstein, who is a law professor and most recently served as general counsel for the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.

She is running to succeed Cyrus Vance Jr., who said in mid-March that he will not seek reelection.

The Manhattan District Attorney's race is not ranked-choice voting.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Weinstein's responses are below.

Tali Farhadian Weinstein

Age (as of Election Day)

45

Position Sought

Manhattan District Attorney

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Neighborhood of residence

Upper East Side

Family

I am the only person in my family who is not a nationally ranked chess champion.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Yale, Yale Law, Oxford (Rhodes Scholarship)

Occupation

Former Brooklyn DA General Counsel

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/a

Campaign website

Taliforda.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

My journey as an immigrant – coming to the U.S., at four years old, to flee antisemitism and violence in Iran – informs everything I do. When my mother, brother, and I arrived at J.F.K. airport, the first American we met was an Immigration and Naturalization Service officer. We had what were likely fake tourist visas in our hands, and he could have turned us away – setting me on an entirely different course in life. But that law enforcement officer made a different decision, and used discretion and compassion to allow us to enter the country.

I have thought a lot about that night in the years since, and I share that experience with you because it has shaped my understanding of the power and responsibility of law enforcement. As a child, I attributed my freedom in this country to a small miracle – the accident of having arrived on December 24th, Christmas Eve. Maybe, I used to think, that was why the officer exercised the law with mercy and compassion. Of course now as an adult and as a lawyer I understand more, that in a democracy, anyone who has the power to enforce the law also has the power – and the duty – to enforce it with discretion. Not every crime should lead to punishment. Not every punishment should be meted out at the maximum. Law enforcement requires us to exercise our humanity and sense of justice, always mindful of the demands of safety, in individual cases. I have spent most of my career in public service, trying to live and work by these principles. I intend to approach the awesome power and responsibility of the district attorney in the same way.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Gun violence

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The depth and breadth of my prosecutorial and management experience differentiates me from the rest of the field. I have experience creating significant institutional reforms and resolving the most difficult legal questions across American legal institutions, from the Supreme Court to President Obama’s Justice Department to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

In President Obama’s Justice Department, I supported the Attorney General in managing numerous components of the Department and with specific projects, such as developing guidance for thousands of federal prosecutors nationwide about how to use their discretion in charging decisions. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for six years, I investigated and prosecuted over 150 cases, some of which took many years each and involved working with numerous law enforcement agents and task forces. I understand the challenges of investigation and prosecution and have the experience to carry out complex cases because I have done them – from violent crime to tax evasion. Lastly, I am the only candidate in this race with experience managing and leading in a progressive DA’s office. As the General Counsel of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, under the leadership of Eric Gonzalez – the fourth largest district attorney’s office in the country – I also served as a close advisor to the District Attorney and was an important part of the leadership team charged with implementing the office’s criminal justice reform agenda. I understand how to create institutional change from within a local prosecutor’s office because I have done it. I supervised the Appeals Bureau and our entire appellate practice – all appeals and collateral motions – as well as legal positions taken throughout the trial bureaus; I also supervised the Conviction Review Unit, the Post-Conviction Justice Bureau, the Law Enforcement Accountability Bureau, and the Civil Litigation Bureau.

Additionally, unlike the field, I believe that voters do not have to choose between fairness and safety. I have fought for both throughout my career and will continue to do so if elected.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Women trapped at home with abusers were left with few resources during the lockdown. My plans to tackle gender-based violence:
https://www.taliforda.com/wp-c...

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Gender Based Violence
We need strategies to make sure that there are more subtle and safe ways for women in high-risk situations to communicate with the outside world and law enforcement. More generally, as district attorney, I will create a new Bureau of Gender-Based Violence, which will report regularly and directly to me, and which will house new Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence Units. Our mission will be to take a proactive, expert and compassionate approach to the prosecution of gender-based violent crimes and to better address the historic hurdles that have prevented victims from getting justice.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In the Brooklyn DA’s office, I led the team that successfully sued the Trump Administration over the I.C.E. courthouse arrest policy.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?”

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

n/a