Sophie Mann-Shafir

Sophie Mann-Shafir is a writer and journalist currently living in Brooklyn.

Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller and current NY-10 congressional candidate, speaks to hundreds of picketing public defenders and advocates on May 18 outside the Kings County Criminal Court, where Samantha Randazzo had been forced to give birth days before. Lander called for improved treatment of pregnant people in custody, describing Randazzo's experience as “extraordinarily egregious” and “something that should shock the conscience of all New Yorkers.”

Why the Brooklyn Courtroom Birth Was the Last Straw for Public Defenders Why the Brooklyn Courtroom Birth Was the Last Straw for Public Defenders

“What occurred in that courtroom was not simply a failure of protocol or preparedness. It was....a devastating reflection of the cruelty embedded in our carceral system.”

May 28, 2026 / Sophie Mann-Shafir

Signage reading “Defend Historic Princeton” across the street from Albert Einstein’s House in Princeton, New Jersey, on March 9, 2026.

In Princeton, a Housing Plan Sparks a Neighborhood War In Princeton, a Housing Plan Sparks a Neighborhood War

What a battle over a mixed-use development in a historic town reveals about liberal America.

Apr 10, 2026 / Sophie Mann-Shafir

The Whodunit Investigating the Death of “Roe”: Q&A With Amy Littlefield

The Whodunit Investigating the Death of “Roe”: Q&A With Amy Littlefield The Whodunit Investigating the Death of “Roe”: Q&A With Amy Littlefield

Our abortion access reporter’s new book reports on the grassroots social movement that amassed enough power to overturn legal abortion, despite being a minority point of view.

Mar 31, 2026 / Sophie Mann-Shafir

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