ACLU Statement on Shelby County District Attorney Race

WASHINGTON — Below is a statement from Udi Ofer, deputy national political director of the American Civil Liberties Union, following the announcement that Steve Mulroy is the apparent winner of the Shelby County District Attorney race:

“Today’s win in Shelby County by a district attorney candidate committed to bail reform, police accountability, and to criminal justice reform proves that the movement for reform-oriented prosecutors continues to grow.”

“This was also the first General Election in a district attorney race since the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and voters clearly chose the candidate who has pledged to make abortion prosecution the lowest enforcement priority.

“In 2022 alone, district attorney candidates committed to reforms have ousted incumbents or won reelection from North Carolina to Tennessee to Iowa to California. Voters continue to see beyond the fearmongering and elect prosecutors who are committed to building a more fair and equitable justice system.”

ACLU of Tennessee Interim Executive Director Lindsay Kee issued this statement:

“The results of the Shelby County district attorney election demonstrate that voters care about crucial civil liberties issues like who is being held in jail because they cannot afford bail, whether or not to charge police officers when they kill someone, prosecutorial transparency, and deprioritizing prosecution of people who assist those seeking an abortion. We look forward to working with our partners and supporters to hold Shelby County’s new district attorney accountable for protecting the rights of the people.”

The ACLU is a non-partisan organization and does not support or oppose candidates for office. Since 2017, the ACLU has been educating voters across the nation to make informed decisions in local district attorney races. In Shelby County, we communicated directly with over 90,000 voters to educate them on where candidates stood on key civil liberties and civil rights issues.