Hanna Pfeiffer, LAW ’24, is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she is a student representative for National Lawyers Guild and the Student Public Interest Network. Hanna graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a major in Public Policy Studies. Her honors thesis, “Bail Reform in Chicago: Using Novel Data to Evaluate General Order 18.8A” focused on evaluating a new bail reform policy in Chicago, Illinois.
Prior to attending law school, Hanna worked on the trade floor at BP, first as a maritime analyst tracking crude oil flows, and next as a low-carbon analyst, calculating supply and demand for three different kinds of carbon credits. Hanna is passionate about reducing global carbon emissions via system-wide policy and closing loopholes in existing carbon policy regulation.
Hanna is also passionate about decarceration. During her undergraduate studies, Hanna interned at the Public Defender’s office in LaGrange, Kentucky, where she investigated cases, met with clients in court and in jail, and reviewed text and call logs. She was also a trained court-watcher. She attended bail hearings in Chicago to record whether judges were considering a defendant’s ability to pay when assessing bail. In addition, she interned at the Illinois Justice Project, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform efforts and reduce recidivism. While there, she contributed to an Illinois Task Force Report on sex offenses and sex offender policy.
As a Law and Public Policy Scholar, Hanna is interning at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division. Aviation, Space, & Admiralty Litigation Section in Washington, D.C. She is eager to learn more about the intersection of aviation, admiralty, and climate policy.