Sofia Nelson

Sofia Valencia Nelson is an American public defender, attorney, and activist from Detroit, Michigan. A student at Yale University, Nelson was a friend of JD Vance and released a series of emails between the two to the New York Times in 2024. They were co-counsel in the cases of Doe v. Snyder (a constitutional challenge to Michigan's sex offender registry laws) and Barry v. Lyon (a challenge to a Michigan law terminating food assistance to those outstanding felony warrants).
Biography
Early life and education
Nelson was born in Wayland Township to Mary Ortiz and Greg Nelson and attended Wayland High School. They graduated from Tufts University in 2009 with a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and Political Science and Yale University in 2013. They joined the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office and Criminal Defense Resource Center in September 2015.
Friendship with JD Vance
Nelson was a close friend of fellow Yale student JD Vance until 2021, when the two had a disagreement over an Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Nelson attended Vance's wedding to his wife, Usha, and considered starting a podcast with him. They supported Kamala Harris over Donald Trump and Vance in the 2024 election. The leaking of emails was criticized as unethical by several conservative commentators and the Vance campaign.
Personal life
Nelson uses they/them pronouns,<ref name":4" /> although several sources refer to them as a female.<ref name":2" /><ref name=":3" />
 
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