| John Feinblatt | |
| Birth Place: | New York, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Gun control activist Lawyer Author |
| Notable Works: | Good Courts: The Case for Problem-Solving Justice (2005) |
| Alma Mater: | Wesleyan University Catholic University of America |
John Feinblatt is an American gun control activist, lawyer, and author.[1] [2] He is the president of both Everytown for Gun Safety, a U.S. gun-violence prevention organization, and The Trace (website), a media outlet founded by Everytown.[3] [4]
Feinblatt was raised in New York.[5] [6] He holds a degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Catholic University of America.[7] [8]
Feinblatt began his career in the late 1970s as a legal services lawyer.[5] He briefly transitioned to magazine writing before returning to the legal field, where he worked with New York's Victims Services agency until 1991.[5] In that year, Times Square landlords, aiming to support gentrification, proposed a specialized court for minor offenses.[5] The city provided funding and a building on 54th Street, with additional contributions from merchants.[5] He then established the Midtown Community Court, which focuses on quality-of-life offenses, such as prostitution, shoplifting, farebeating and vandalism, with a view toward rehabilitation instead of punishment.[8] [2]
During Michael Bloomberg's tenure as the Mayor of New York City, Feinblatt served as the chief policy advisor and criminal justice coordinator.[1] At City Hall, he utilized data analytics to enhance agency operations and provided counsel to Mayor Michael Bloomberg on various policy subjects.[1] Their association started in 2001, when Mayor Bloomberg toured the Center for Court Innovation, which Feinblatt founded in 1996.[1] [9] [10] Notably, the Center for Court Innovation was awarded the Innovations in American Government award in 1998 by the Harvard Kennedy School.[11]
Previously, Feinblatt worked as a deputy executive director at Safe Horizon, served as a public defender with The Legal Aid Society, and was a research associate at the Vera Institute of Justice.[12] [13]
Feinblatt co-authored Good Courts: The Case for Problem-Solving Justice. The book has been reviewed by multiple publications such as the International Journal of Police Science and Management and the Justice System Journal.[14] [15]
Feinblatt married Jonathan Mintz in one of New York States's first same-sex weddings [16] [7] after the Marriage Equality Act (New York) was signed into law in 2011. Their marriage ceremony was officiated by Michael Bloomberg.