Elected on Nov. 3, 2020 to the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Angel S. Harris previously served as Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., where her advocacy focused on capital defense, juvenile life without the possibility of parole, felon disenfranchisement and policing reform. Prior to joining LDF, Angel served as a Staff Attorney with the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project where she represented death-sentenced prisoners nationwide. Between 2009-13, Angel was a public defender in Louisiana (Orleans and Calcasieu Parishes). A nationally recognized expert on criminal justice and civil rights issues, Angel’s writing has appeared in the New York Times and the Huffington Post and she has provided commentary on “Democracy Now!,” “1A” and “The Roland Martin Show.” Angel is also the co-founder of the Black Womxn Lawyers Collective, a platform providing Continuing Legal Education courses with a comprehensive intersectional framework rooted in advocacy with and for womxn, children, and communities of color taught by Black womxn lawyers. Angel graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2009 and summa cum laude from Hampton University with a B.A. in English. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar.