What to find out about Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district legal professional

A New York grand jury investigating hush funds made on Donald Trump’s behalf throughout the 2016 presidential marketing campaign has refocused consideration on the Manhattan district legal professional steering the case. Alvin Bragg’s resolution to convene the grand jury early this yr may result in the primary prison cost in opposition to a former U.S. president.

Right here’s what it is advisable find out about Bragg:

WHO IS THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY?

Alvin Bragg turned Manhattan’s first Black district legal professional in 2022, following his election in November 2021.

AS DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WHAT IS BRAGG’S JOB?

The district legal professional’s workplace prosecutes almost all prison instances in Manhattan, main an workplace of about 500 attorneys. A district legal professional is also a key political determine, notably in New York the place instances typically contain defendants with immense wealth, fame and affect.

ARE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS ELECTED?

Sure, Bragg received a troublesome Democratic major after which the overall election to develop into Manhattan’s district legal professional. He took over for retiring District Legal professional Cyrus Vance Jr.

WHAT IS BRAGG’S LEGAL BACKGROUND?

Bragg’s profession contains time as a federal prosecutor, an assistant legal professional basic for the state of New York and a civil rights legal professional who represented Eric Garner’s mom as she pressured New York Metropolis officers for extra accountability in opposition to the officers and commanders concerned in her son’s 2014 demise by a police chokehold.

Bragg’s marketing campaign included guarantees to alter the tradition of the workplace and allied him with different progressive prosecutors aiming to eradicate money bail.Shortly after taking workplace, he launched a public memo promising the district legal professional would not prosecute some low-level misdemeanor crimes.

Bragg, who grew up in Harlem, graduated from Harvard Regulation Faculty.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BRAGG’S INVOLVEMENT WITH A POSSIBLE TRUMP INDICTMENT?

Bragg inherited a yearslong grand jury investigation into hush cash paid on Trump’s behalf throughout his 2016 presidential marketing campaign.

After taking workplace, Bragg slowed down his workplace’s transfer towards an indictment in opposition to Trump and mentioned he had issues in regards to the power of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who had been main the investigation and resigned.

However Bragg convened a brand new grand jury early this yr after efficiently convicting Trump’s household firm for tax fraud. He known as that end result a “sturdy demarcation line” for continuing with different elements of the probe.

Generally, the grand jury course of is seen as extraordinarily favorable to prosecutors.

Proceedings are closed to the general public and there’s no decide. Prosecutors name and query witnesses and grand jurors — individuals drawn from the neighborhood — can ask questions. Grand jurors can both agree there’s sufficient proof to subject an indictment, discover there’s not sufficient proof or inform the prosecutor to file lesser expenses.