Matthew Menendez served as counsel for the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, where his work focused on judicial administration and reforming the criminal justice process. Menendez is an expert on improving access to justice, particularly the impacts of fees and fines in the criminal justice system. Menendez has also worked extensively on preserving judicial impartiality and independence through litigation and policy analysis. His work has been featured widely in media outlets, including the New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg, and the Intercept. Menendez is also an adjunct professor at NYU School of Law, where he teaches the Brennan Center Public Policy Advocacy Clinic.
Prior to joining the Brennan Center, Menendez was a litigator at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York City. Menendez attended NYU School of Law as a Dean’s Scholar and graduated in 2007, having served as notes editor of the NYU Environmental Law Journal. Prior to law school, he worked in Washington, DC, as an aide to Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D–WV), where he concentrated on issues including the judiciary, energy, and the environment. He received his BA in economics and political science from Swarthmore College in 1999.
