Bio
Kanya Bennett is a former senior legislative counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, serving from 2014 to 2020. In this capacity, Kanya advanced criminal justice reform at the federal level.
Prior to joining the ACLU, Kanya spent over three years at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy as the Director of Policy Development and Programming where she focused on civil and criminal justice issues. Kanya also served as Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for over eight years and completed a fellowship at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation immediately following her graduation from law school. She holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Featured work
Jun 14, 2018
Say Her Name: Recognizing Police Brutality Against Black Women
May 25, 2018
The House Could Soon Give Jeff Sessions $50 Million to Wage the War on Drugs
May 17, 2018
Congress Wants More Protections for Cops While Ignoring Police Reform
Apr 24, 2018
Trump’s Actions Undermine His Rhetoric About Second Chances
Sep 18, 2017
Jeff Sessions Is Dismantling the Justice Department’s Community Policing Initiative When We Need It Most
Sep 13, 2017
The House Tells Sessions’ Justice Department It Will Not Stand for Civil Asset Forfeiture
Sep 11, 2017
Here’s How Communities and City Councils Can Reject Trump’s Militarization of Local Police
Aug 28, 2017
Trump Just Gave Thousands of Bayonets And Hundreds of Grenade Launchers Back To Police
Aug 8, 2017
As We Remember the Militarized Response to the Ferguson Uprising, Trump Says Civilian Police Are Making ‘Good Use’ of Military Weapons
Jul 26, 2017
Even Fake Law Enforcement Agencies Can Get Weapons of War for ‘Policing’