Former SDNY U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon joins the Manhattan Institute

Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon has joined the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow. 

The institute announced the former federal prosecutor’s position through social media on July 15. Sassoon became the center of national conversation when she resigned from her post in February after refusing to comply with the Department of Justice’s order to drop the federal corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams. She was the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York for three weeks when she sent her resignation letter to the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which accused the DOJ and Adams of entering a quid pro quo agreement. 

Sassoon is widely known for her exit, but her extensive resume transcends her resignation. After graduating magna cum laude from Yale Law School, she clerked for Judge Harvie Wilkinson III of the United States Court of Appeals and former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She also served as an assistant United States attorney for over eight years.

Sassoon won’t prosecute mayors and cryptocurrency CEOs anymore but will continue to contribute to the legal field. The right leaning urban policy think tank is fitting for the former prosecutor who has a robust history as a judicial conservative. She is a member of the Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian organization that promotes textualist interpretations of the constitution. Sassoon will conduct policy research and write for the City Journal alongside 31 other senior fellows at the institute. 

The Manhattan Institute did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.