Executive Director's Bio

Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary


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Executive Director's Bio

Executive Order
Message from the Chair
Message from the Executive Director
Executive Director's Bio
Press Releases
Previous Public Hearings
Events
Contact MACJ

Executive Order

Message from the Chair

Message from the Executive Director

Executive Director's Bio

Press Releases

Previous Public Hearings

Events

Contact MACJ


Executive Director’s Bio

Ayanna Sorett is the executive director of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. As executive director, Ms. Sorett holds a key role in vetting and nominating appointments and reappointments to New York City Criminal Court and New York City Family Court, as well as interim appointments to New York City Civil Court. Prior to her appointment, she was a senior fellow in the Center for Justice at Columbia University, where she advised center leadership and staff on various policy and programming initiatives around criminal justice reform, including restorative justice practices. Ms. Sorett is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where she teaches an undergraduate and graduate-level course on criminal justice-related topics.

Ms. Sorett was a former assistant district attorney with the New York County District Attorney’s Office. In her more than 15 years as a prosecutor, she worked on a wide variety of criminal cases, handling every aspect of prosecution from pre-arrest investigations to sentencing and post-conviction litigation. While at the DA’s office, she developed specialized expertise working on everything from complex financial crimes, including securities fraud and money laundering, to convening various stakeholders and facilitating community-based meetings to advance policy, programs, and initiatives that addressed crime-related issues and supported local communities. Ms. Sorett also worked on violent felony offenses and large-scale conspiracy cases, including gun trafficking and homicides.

In addition to investigating and litigating cases, Ms. Sorett assisted in a variety of administrative roles in the DA’s office, including supervising junior assistants in case intake, leading teams of attorneys in focused prosecutions, leading the office’s college intern program, and serving as a member of the office’s permanent hiring committee.