Alvin Bragg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alvin Bragg
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Bragg in 2023
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| 37th District Attorney of New York County | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Cyrus Vance Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alvin Leonard Bragg Jr.
October 21, 1973 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Jamila Ponton
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, JD) |
Alvin Leonard Bragg Jr. (born October 21, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician. He is the New York County District Attorney, which means he is the top lawyer for the borough of Manhattan in New York City. In 2021, he made history by becoming the first African American to be elected to this position.
Before becoming District Attorney, Bragg held other important legal jobs. He was a top lawyer for New York State and also worked as a lawyer for the U.S. government. In 2024, he became the first district attorney in American history to lead a case that resulted in the conviction of a former U.S. president.
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Early Life and Schooling
Alvin Bragg was born in New York City on October 21, 1973. He grew up in the neighborhood of Harlem. Bragg has said that his early experiences with the police shaped his views on the justice system.
He was a good student and graduated from the Trinity School. After high school, he went to Harvard College. He graduated with honors in 1995 with a degree in government. He then went to Harvard Law School to become a lawyer, earning his law degree in 1999.
Legal Career
Working as a Lawyer
After law school, Bragg worked as an assistant for a federal judge. He then joined a law firm where he focused on cases about business crimes and civil rights. Civil rights are the basic rights that every person should have.
In 2003, he began working for the Attorney General of New York. Later, he led investigations for the New York City Council. In 2009, he became a lawyer for the U.S. government in the Southern District of New York.
Working for New York State
In 2017, Bragg was chosen to be the Chief Deputy Attorney General of New York. In this role, he managed the parts of the office that dealt with criminal justice and social justice. He oversaw important lawsuits, including cases against the Donald J. Trump Foundation and The Weinstein Company.
He left this job in 2018 to become a professor at New York Law School. There, he helped lead the Racial Justice Project. He also served on the board of The Legal Aid Society, an organization that provides legal help to people who cannot afford it.
New York County District Attorney
The 2021 Election
In 2019, Bragg announced he was running to become the District Attorney for New York County. The current DA, Cyrus Vance Jr., was not running again. Bragg's campaign focused on making the criminal justice system fairer for everyone. He was supported by groups that wanted to see these kinds of changes.
The New York Times, a major newspaper, endorsed his campaign. After winning the Democratic party's primary election in the summer, Bragg won the main election on November 2, 2021. This made him the first African-American District Attorney in Manhattan's history.
Time in Office
Bragg officially started his job on January 1, 2022.
New Policies
Soon after taking office, Bragg announced new policies. His office would stop prosecuting some minor offenses, like not paying the subway fare or resisting arrest, unless they were part of a more serious crime. The goal was to focus his office's time and resources on more serious, violent crimes.
He also changed how his office would handle some robberies where no one was physically harmed. Later, Bragg clarified that he still had a "zero tolerance" policy for violent crime, meaning those crimes would always be taken very seriously.
Case Involving Donald Trump
When Bragg took office, his team was already investigating former President Donald Trump and his businesses. In February 2022, two main lawyers on the case resigned. They disagreed with Bragg about whether to move forward with charges against Trump at that time.
Later, Bragg's office restarted the investigation into payments made on Trump's behalf. In March 2023, a grand jury voted to indict Trump, making him the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. Trump pleaded not guilty. On May 30, 2024, a jury found Trump guilty on all counts. This was a historic moment, as Bragg became the first prosecutor to convict a former president.
Other Important Cases
- Jose Alba Case: In July 2022, a store clerk named Jose Alba was involved in a conflict with a customer. Alba defended himself with a knife, and the customer died. Bragg's office charged Alba with murder. After public outcry, including from New York's mayor, Bragg's office dropped the charges. They decided they could not prove the case in court.
- Steve Bannon Case: In September 2022, Bragg's office charged Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Trump. The charges were for fraud related to a project to build a wall on the U.S. southern border. Bannon had been pardoned for similar federal charges by Trump, but a presidential pardon does not apply to state charges. Bannon pleaded not guilty.
- Daniel Penny Case: In May 2024, Daniel Penny was charged in the death of Jordan Neely on a subway. The charges against Penny were dismissed in December 2024.
Security Clearance Revocation
In February 2025, President Trump announced he was revoking the security clearances of Bragg and several other officials. A security clearance allows a person to see secret government information. This decision came after Bragg's role in the criminal case against Trump.
Personal Life
Bragg married Jamila Ponton in 2003. They have two children. He has also been a Sunday School teacher at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
See also
In Spanish: Alvin Bragg para niños
