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Politics and the law square off. Guess which one wins?
Elliot has seen law in many arenas and worked closely with elected and appointed officials in helping to shape our legal system. He addresses topics such as whether politics can really be kept out of the legal system; how today’s political attitudes affect how we see the law; the differences between political and legal accountability, and why both matter; and how the ways we consume information today give us unrealistic expectations of what to expect from our legal system.
Covering the Trial(s) of the Century
Elliot has had a front seat to working on or covering some of today’s biggest legal stories, and has some questions to answer about what they say about us. Why do some legal questions or trials capture the public’s consciousness? Why are people losing faith in institutions - including the courts? How does social media affect… everything?
An Insider’s Take on Washington in 2023 and 2024
Before working in media, Elliot spent fifteen years working in all three branches of government, as a career civil servant and political appointee. He takes audiences behind the scenes of how government really works, and what to look for in the coming year.
The Path to Public Service: From Kingston to Camp David
How does a first-generation child of Jamaican immigrants end up in some of the most exclusive spaces in government and politics? With humor, Elliot describes his career path and personal challenges, offering inspiring life lessons for anyone who’s considered a path to public service.
Everything I Needed to Know I Learned From Cooking
Outside of his work in law and politics, Elliot is an avid cook and baker. From figuring out - quite literally - how sausage is made to knowing when to trust your instincts, many lessons in life and leadership can be learned right in the kitchen.
The Lasting Impact of America’s History of Discrimination
CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams brings an unmatched perspective on race, racial justice, and the pursuit of equity in our political and legal systems – and in American society. Leveraging his expertise in the public and private sector, Elliot offers substantial analysis on critical race theory, the politicization of the court system, and how America’s history of discrimination continues to impact our systems and policies today.
Reforming the Criminal Justice System
In this compelling talk, Elliot Williams unpacks the case for reforming the criminal justice system. With broad public consensus about the need for major reforms, Elliot draws on his work in the public and private sector – and in all three branches of government – to bring clarity to the nuances of criminal justice reform with reasoned and insightful analysis.
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Former senior justice department leader and federal prosecutor Elliot Williams is currently a legal analyst on CNN. His signature reasoned and intelligent analysis have established him as a go-to voice for legal and political analysis today.
As a regular guest host on SiriusXM’s nonpartisan political talk radio network, he has guided senators, governors, cabinet officials, and other newsmakers through enlightening discussions of law, politics, immigration, foreign policy, the arts, sports, and a broad range of topics.
His commentary has appeared on NPR and in The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, USA Today, CNN.com, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, HuffPost, The Hill, NBC News' THINK, and Axios.
An expert in advocacy before Congress, he is a Principal in the Government Affairs and Policy Counsel practice group at The Raben Group, a national public affairs firm based in Washington. He served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General and criminal trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, an Assistant Director for congressional relations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. In 2015, the National Law Journal named him a “Rising Star,” and he was a Spring 2022 Fellow at the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service.
With a candid, thoughtful, and humorous approach, Elliot draws on his 15 years of working in all three branches of government and offers his audiences a front-row seat to navigating the legal, political, and cultural headlines of the day.
My Speaker List
