News & Commentary written by Tanya Greene

Tanya Greene’s work focuses on criminal justice issues, including the death penalty, indigent defense, solitary confinement and juvenile justice. Greene worked as a capital defense practitioner for almost 15 years prior to joining the ACLU. She began at the Southern Center for Human Rights, representing indigent capital clients in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Greene then worked as a Deputy Capital Defender at the New York Capital Defender Office where she represented capitally charged clients in the New York City area.  The New York Capital Defender Office was instrumental in having the New York death penalty statute declared unconstitutional in 2004.  Subsequently, Greene served as the Training and Assistance Counsel for the National Consortium for Capital Defense Training where she developed innovative training and consulted with capital defense practitioners on cases nationwide. Greene received her J.D. from Harvard Law School after graduating from Wesleyan University with a double major in Sociology and Afro-American Studies.  Greene is an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Conference of Black Lawyers; she serves on the Board of Directors of the Gulf Region Advocacy Center, a death penalty non-profit in Houston, Texas.