Sofia Nelson
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Sofia Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | attorney, public defender, and activist |
| Years active | 2013-present |
| Known for | Publishing emails between themselves and JD Vance |
Sofia Valencia Nelson is an American public defender, attorney, and activist from Detroit, Michigan. A student at Yale University, Nelson was a friend of JD Vance and released a series of emails between the two to the New York Times in 2024.[1][2] They were co-counsel in the cases of Doe v. Snyder (a constitutional challenge to Michigan's sex offender registry laws) and Barry v. Lyon (a challenge to a Michigan law terminating food assistance to those outstanding felony warrants).[3]
Biography
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]Nelson was born in Wayland Township to Mary Ortiz and Greg Nelson and attended Wayland High School.[4] They graduated from Tufts University in 2009 with a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and Political Science and Yale University in 2013.[1][3] Nelson was a close friend of author and politician JD Vance until 2021, when the two had a disagreement over an Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors.[1]
Career
[edit]Nelson joined the American Civil Liberties Union in 2013, shortly after graduating from Yale.[5] They joined the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office and Criminal Defense Resource Center in September 2015.[3] They were co-counsel in the cases of Doe v. Snyder (a constitutional challenge to Michigan's sex offender registry laws) and Barry v. Lyon (a challenge to a Michigan law terminating food assistance to those outstanding felony warrants).[3] They worked as a lawyer for Darnell Johnson in 2020, who was sentenced to life in prison for a crime he committed at the age of 17.[6]
Friendship with JD Vance
[edit]Nelson was a close friend of fellow Yale student JD Vance until 2021, when the two had a disagreement over an Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors.[7][8] Nelson attended Vance's wedding to his wife, Usha, and considered starting a podcast with him.[1] They published a series of emails between themself and Vance in 2024 to the New York Times, which gained significant press coverage.[1][2][9] They supported Kamala Harris over Donald Trump and Vance in the 2024 election.[1][10] The leaking of emails was criticized as unethical by several conservative commentators and the Vance campaign.[1][11][12]
Personal life
[edit]Nelson uses they/them pronouns,[8] although several sources refer to them as a female.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Saul, Stephanie (2024-07-27). "JD Vance, an Unlikely Friendship and Why It Ended". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b Pengelly, Martin (2024-07-29). "JD Vance calls Trump 'morally reprehensible' in resurfaced emails". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b c d e "Meet Sofia Nelson and Adrienne Young, SADO's Newest Assistant Defenders". Michigan State Appellate Defender Office and Criminal Defense Resource Center. Archived from the original on 2023-07-16.
- ^ a b "WHS grad Sofia Nelson joins Detroit public defender's office". Town Broadcast. 2015-07-12. Archived from the original on 2024-07-18. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Sofia Nelson". ACLU of Michigan. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Sentenced to life as teens, they fear getting coronavirus before getting a second chance". NBC News. 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "5 Excerpts From JD Vance's Emails to a Transgender Classmate". The New York Times. 2024-07-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b Writer, Andrew Stanton Weekend Staff (2024-07-18). "Why JD Vance's transgender friend turned against him". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Resurfaced emails show JD Vance calling Trump 'morally reprehensible'". The Independent. 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ Dougherty, Hugh (2024-07-27). "J.D. Vance Told Transgender Friend 'I Love You' and 'I Hate Cops'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ Hays, Gabriel (2024-07-27). "NY Times digs up old e-mails from JD Vance to classmate attacking 'morally reprehensible' Trump". Fox News. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ Marshall, Jack (2024-07-28). "Ethics Villain: Ex-J.D. Vance Friend Sofia Nelson". Ethics Alarms. Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-07-29.