| Nancy Hollander | |
| Education: | University of Michigan (BA) University of New Mexico (JD) |
| Occupation: | Criminal defense lawyer |
| Known For: | Representing Chelsea Manning, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri |
| Spouse: | Todd Gitlin (divorced) |
Nancy Hollander (born 1944)[1] is an American criminal defense lawyer best known for representing two Guantanamo Bay detainees, as well as Chelsea Manning.[2] She was portrayed by actress Jodie Foster in the 2021 film The Mauritanian, about the case of her client Mohamedou Ould Slahi.
Hollander was raised in Dallas, Texas.[3] She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law.[4] [5] As a student, Hollander was arrested three times while protesting as a member of Students for a Democratic Society.[6]
Hollander represented Slahi until 2016, when he was released from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[7] [8] The film The Mauritanian is based on the story of Slahi's capture, torture, and detention, and Hollander's fight to win his release.[9] [10]
Hollander also represents Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, who was tortured at CIA black sites and has been at Guantanamo Bay since 2006. Hollander won two judgments for al-Nashiri from the European Court of Human Rights, resulting in damages to al-Nashiri.[11] [12]
Hollander was lead counsel for Chelsea Manning's unsuccessful military appeal,[13] but filed a successful application for commutation of Manning's sentence in 2017.[14]
Hollander has been a partner at Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Urias & Ward, P.A., in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 1983.[15]
Hollander was married to Todd Gitlin, an activist and academic associated with the New Left movement. With him, she co-wrote Uptown: Poor Whites in Chicago.[16]