MEET TALI FARHADIAN WEINSTEIN
Tali Farhadian Weinstein, a former federal and state prosecutor, has spent nearly two decades working across a range of American legal institutions. Tali and her family came to America on Christmas Eve 1979 as refugees fleeing the violence and antisemitism of revolutionary Iran. Her parents brought her to the United States so she could grow up experiencing safety, fairness and justice, and she 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 U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, Tali worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, first as Counsel to Attorney General Eric Holder, and then as a federal prosecutor. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Tali investigated and prosecuted cases ranging from gun violence and murders to public corruption, tax and other frauds, and national security matters. From 2018-2020, Tali served as the General Counsel of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, one of the largest prosecutors’ offices in the county. In this role, Tali was part of the leadership team charged with implementing the office’s criminal justice reform agenda, and created the nation’s first Post-Conviction Justice Bureau.
Tali is currently a Legal Analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at NYU Law School. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Daily News, and other publications. She is a Trustee of the New York Public Library, where she chairs the Audit Committee, a Trustee of the Vera Institute for Justice, and serves on the Board of Directors of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). Tali lives in New York City with her husband and three daughters.
Tali Farhadian Weinstein is a prosecutor, a professor, and a proven criminal justice reformer. She is also an immigrant, a daughter, a wife, and the mother of three girls.
Tali came to America as a child in search of hope on Christmas Eve 1979, having fled the violence and antisemitism of revolutionary Iran. Tali’s family depended on the free lawyers of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to guide them through a decade of legal proceedings, until they became American citizens.
Like so many immigrants, Tali’s parents, Farah and Nasser, had the courage to sacrifice everything and to face the unknown so that she and her siblings could grow up experiencing safety, fairness, and justice. Tali, in turn, has dedicated her career to fighting for those principles; to serving the country and city that gave her refuge, opportunity, and freedom; and to standing up as a champion for those who face vulnerability and violence in their lives.
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 U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, Tali worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, first as Counsel to Attorney General Eric Holder, and then as a federal prosecutor. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Tali investigated and prosecuted cases ranging from gun violence and murders to public corruption, tax and other frauds, and national security matters.
Recently, Tali served as the General Counsel of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, which, under the leadership of Eric Gonzalez, is regarded as a national model of progressive prosecution, and which kept crime – especially violent crime – at record lows for the borough. In this role, Tali 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. She also managed multiple bureaus of the office, directed complex litigations, and led the design and creation of the nation’s first Post-Conviction Justice Bureau, a unit dedicated to reviewing and correcting some of the excesses and mistakes of the past.
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 “Criminal Justice Reform and the District Attorney.” Tali is a national expert on the transformation of local prosecution happening around the country today.
Currently, Tali is an NBC News & MSNBC Legal Analyst.
TALI FARHADIAN WEINSTEIN FEATURED PRESS
December 23, 2019
