David Siffert is a civil rights lawyer, law professor, community leader, and life-long Manhattanite, who combines the wonkishness of an academic with the experience of a civil rights advocate and the grounding of a community organizer.
For years, David has used their legal expertise to fight for lower housing costs, safety for our immigrant communities, regulations on dangerous and invasive technology, and protection from the federal administration's myriad attacks.
David lives in the East Village with their wife and extremely cute toddler, and their hobbies include music, photography, and chocolate. David's favorite teams are the Mets, Liberty, and Knicks. David would be the first non-binary person to hold elected office in New York.
Civil Rights Work
David's extensive civil rights experience includes their work as Legal Director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), an anti-mass surveillance non-profit. David leads S.T.O.P.'s work on both litigation and legislation.
David sued the City of New York for forcing arrestees to remove religious head coverings in booking photos, resulting in a change of policy and compensatory payments for the victims, restoring dignity to religiously observant New Yorkers, including Muslim women, Jewish men, Sikh men, and others.
Academic Expertise
David understands the government inside and out -- where it is broken and where it falls short. They teach about the New York State legislature at NYU School of Law—one of the nation's top law schools, training the next generation of lawyers to defend New Yorkers' rights and create sound public policy.
David is the founding Executive Director of NYU's State Government Initiative, with the mission of using university resources to help state government better serve the people, and previously served as Director of Research & Projects at the Center on Civil Justice at NYU Law.
David previously worked as a litigator in private practice and as a tax lawyer. David clerked for the New York Court of Appeals, New York's highest court, and for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the most significant trial court in the country.
Community Leadership
David's community leadership includes extensive work with the Village Independent Democrats (VID), where they just finished a term as Treasurer.
David previously served as VID President from 2019–2020, leading the organization through the transition to virtual work during the pandemic, coordinating VID's efforts in the historic 2020 Presidential election, and helping to cement VID as one of New York's premier Democratic clubs for progressive activism.
David has also used their legal skills to fight for the community, including working as counsel in Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary v. Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, submitting amicus briefs in support of congestion pricing and New York City's foie gras ban, and volunteering with the Dilley Pro Bono Project by spending a week at the Texas border helping mothers and children in immigration detention to be released into the United States.
David has served repeatedly as a Judicial Delegate for the 66th Assembly District and as a member of the Manhattan Democratic County Committee.
