A woman with brown hair to her shoulders, swept over her left shoulder, with brown glasses and blue/green eyes smiles at the camera in front of a blue wall with a pink sweater on.

Elana Bildner

Pronouns: she, her

Senior Staff Attorney

Legal Department

Bio

Elana Bildner joined the ACLU of Connecticut in 2019 and was the team's Senior Staff Attorney until 2026.

In her role, she advanced the organization's mission through litigation. Elana has spent significant time advocating and litigating for the rights of immigrants, people who are or were incarcerated, and families. Most recently, Elana was a senior clinical fellow with the Civil Justice Clinic at Quinnipiac University School of Law. There, she focused on ending long prison sentences imposed on children. She also guided law students representing young adults in parole hearings and in civil rights lawsuits challenging prison mistreatment. Prior to her time at Quinnipiac, Elana spent six years as a civil litigator at large law firms in New York and Connecticut. Elana received her law degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a teaching assistant, Harlan Fiske Stone scholar, and an executive editor of the Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual. Before her legal career, Elana worked with anti-poverty organizations in New York through an AmeriCorps fellowship.

Featured Work

News & Commentary
A person in a red coat, black facemask, and black hood holds a sign that says "Prisons are not hospitals" in front of the Connecticut State Capitol building in December 2020.
  • Criminal Legal System

As prison settlement ends, the state must work harder to protect incarcerated people from COVID-19

Govenor Lamont, the DOC, and the Attorney General’s office that represents the DOC in court cases, have not prioritized the lives and safety of incarcerated people during this pandemic. It is not too late for Lamont or the DOC to take action to prevent further death and suffering.

Related Content

News & Commentary
Elana Bildner, ACLU of Connecticut ACLU-CT staff attorney

Meet Elana Bildner, the ACLU of Connecticut’s new staff attorney

Elana Bildner has spent her career advocating and litigating for justice for immigrants, people who are or were incarcerated, and families. Now, she has joined the ACLU of Connecticut as staff attorney.Most recently, Elana was a senior clinical fellow with the Civil Justice Clinic at Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she worked on cases focused on ending long prison sentences imposed on children and guided law students who were representing young adults in parole hearings and civil rights lawsuits challenging mistreatment of people who were incarcerated. Prior to her time at Quinnipiac, Elana spent six years as a civil litigator in New York and Connecticut. A former executive editor of Columbia Law School’s Jailhouse Lawyers’ Manual, Elana also previously worked with anti-poverty organizations in New York through AmeriCorps.