About Eli
Eli Northrup is a public defender and policy advocate who has spent his career fighting for equity and social justice in New York.
As Policy Director for the Criminal Defense Practice at The Bronx Defenders, Eli leads a team of advocates advancing policies to bring fairness and dignity to our criminal legal system. For over a decade, he has worked as a public defender in criminal courts, representing low-income people who are unable to afford an attorney. In 2022, after working on the campaign for marijuana justice in New York State, he helped launch the Bronx Cannabis Hub, a free resource to help New Yorkers impacted by the War on Drugs apply for retail cannabis licenses.
He has also played a central role in campaigns at the city and state levels to protect due process, guarantee transparency, ensure that people with criminal records can find jobs and stable housing, and reduce the population of Rikers Island. He is a member of the Civil Rights Committee of the New York City Bar.
Prior to working at The Bronx Defenders, Eli was a Prettyman Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center and worked as a clerk for judges on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the Southern District of New York. In law school, he worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and the Legal Aid Society. Fighting for racial and social justice is his passion and life’s work.
Eli received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude and was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow. He received an L.L.M. in Trial Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University.
Eli cares deeply about the environment, a passion shared by his late father, who worked for the Nature Conservancy for almost forty years. His mother, a poet and teacher, encouraged his lifelong love for the arts. A resident of Morningside, Eli enjoys attending concerts, playing flag football and pickleball, and taking advantage of the neighborhood’s parks and bagels.
Eli is running for New York State Assembly in the 69th District, which includes the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights and Manhattan Valley. The State Primary election will be held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell, who currently represents the district, is not seeking re-election.