Senator Cory Booker

717 Hart Senate

Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

March 21, 2024

Dear Senator Booker,

I write to you as my home-state Senator and a member of the Senate Judiciary

Committee. I write to address certain misstatements that have been put forward regarding my
work with the Alliance of Families for Justice, and certain baseless accusations that have been
made about my views regarding the hardworking men and women in law enforcement who put
their safety on the line every single day. I was not asked about these issues at my Senate
Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing and therefore did not have an opportunity to address
these allegations.

Whether motivated by attempts to portray my religion as violent, or any other goal, any
suggestion that I have sympathy for attacks on law enforcement is shocking and false.

My work with the Alliance of Families for Justice stems from the referral to my law firm
for pro bono legal services the family of Karl Taylor, an inmate who died at the Sullivan
Correctional Facility. I ultimately led a pro bono lawsuit relating to the death of Karl Taylor,
which alleged that this mentally ill black inmate was beaten and choked to death after he had
been restrained and handcuffed. That lawsuit resulted, after years of litigation, in a historic
settlement on the morning of closing arguments after a trial in the Southern District of New York
before then-Chief Judge Colleen McMahon and a jury. That settlement included a requirement
for the State of New York to install cameras and microphones throughout the Sullivan
Correctional Facility, which notably will increase safety for corrections officers and help protect
them against any attacks from inmates or any false allegations of misconduct. I was invited
based on involvement in this matter to serve on an advisory panel for the Alliance of Families for
Justice, which is referred to as its advisory board. That group has never met, and I understand
that it exists to serve as a resource in particular areas of expertise. While I had a few
conversations with staff about potential pro bono matters like the Karl Taylor case, I did not
litigate any further cases based on referrals from the Alliance of Families for Justice.

The Alliance of Families for Justice has an entirely separate Board of Directors that is
responsible for oversight and governance. I have never had any role on the Alliance of Families
for Justice’s Board of Directors. Oversight of the Alliance of Families for Justice’s work, which
I understand includes providing therapy for families of prison inmates and helping young people
avoid crime, is the role of that Board of Directors.

I understand questions have been raised about an individual named Kathy Boudin. I do
not know Ms. Boudin and to my knowledge I never even met her. To the extent there was a
fellowship at the Alliance of Families for Justice named for Boudin, I was not involved. I also
understand concerns have been raised about an event from 2021 purportedly organized by a
group called M4BL or the Movement for Black Lives. I have no knowledge of this event and
had no involvement in it of any kind. I have had no involvement of any kind with M4BL.

While I had no involvement with or knowledge regarding this 2021 M4BL event, I would
like to note that I emphatically disagree with the phrasing used with regard to that event (“elder
freedom fighters”). I have never and would never use such phrasing to refer to anyone convicted
of crimes against law enforcement. Crimes against law enforcement officers are horrific and
indefensible. I have not represented or otherwise provided legal services to any individual
convicted of killing a law enforcement officer. I condemn any violence against law enforcement
officers without equivocation. I have spent my career as a commercial litigator and have never
been involved in criminal defense work. Law enforcement officers perform a vital and
incredibly difficult public service in circumstances where they are often underpaid and
underappreciated. It is imperative that the legal system hold to account anyone who attacks law
enforcement officers, and that those law enforcement officers be appropriately protected against
any false claims.

I am proud to have widespread support from law enforcement, including the Hispanic
American Law Enforcement Association, the National Black State Troopers Coalition New
Jersey Chapter, the New Jersey Asian American Law Enforcement Officers Association, the
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement New Jersey, and the Muslim American Law
Enforcement Association. A representative from one of these groups interviewed me before
their endorsement and is familiar with my views on issues relating to law enforcement. I have
also the support of the National Organization of Black Women in Law Enforcement, as well as a
bipartisan group of former New Jersey Attorneys General and United States Attorneys. While
many law enforcement groups have supported my nomination, I understand some are opposed.
Those groups in opposition never spoke to me about my position, views, or limited work with the
Alliance of Families for Justice. Their claims about my positions are categorically false,
misinformed, and mistaken. I expect any such organizations to retract their claims now that the
facts are clear.

Lawyers at large law firms routinely engage in pro bono service on behalf of referring
organizations. Such pro bono service plays a critical role in the protection and preservation of
the law and civil rights. It is imperative that firm lawyers’ incentives to engage in pro bono
service, such as the Karl Taylor case, not be diminished by attempts to hold such firm lawyers
responsible for actions by any individuals associated with referring organizations, or even more
tenuous connections to such referring organizations. I am very proud of the precedent-setting
pro bono work my law firm and I did on the Karl Taylor case, which led to institutional reform
that will make inmates and officers at the Sullivan Correctional Facility safer for years to come.

Sincerely,

Adeel A. Mangi