Biography
Nia O. Holston (she/her) is a staff attorney and movement lawyer at the Abolitionist Law Center, where she represents people impacted by the carceral state in federal and state court. Nia maintains an active and varied caseload that includes prison and police litigation, post-conviction representation of individuals sentenced to die in prison, and compassionate release matters in Pennsylvania. Nia has worked as co-counsel on a class action challenging inhumane conditions in Philadelphia’s jails, represents West Philadelphians who challenged the Philadelphia police department’s excessive and militaristic use of tear gas and other force during the George Floyd protests in May 2020, and is a part of various community movements to end mass incarceration in Philadelphia and beyond. Prior to joining the Abolitionist Law Center, Nia worked as an assistant public defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. She graduated from New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern public interest scholar, participated in civil rights and youth justice defender clinics, led an organization that trains law school students to represent children at their school suspension hearings, and organized around racial justice issues on campus.