River B. Sedaka

Colorado State Public Defender

River Sedaka, Esq., (they/she) is a public defender who's proudly represented indigent criminal defendants in Colorado’s appellate courts since 2016. River hails from Toronto, where they studied intersectional social justice movements at the University of Toronto. River attended law school at Northwestern University, where the 2014 police murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri opened her eyes to the racial and economic injustices at the heart of the criminal legal system. River went to law school hoping to work in impact litigation, but that formative summer inspired her to switch paths and pursue a career in public defense. River has felt a lifelong calling to achieve justice and liberation for society’s most marginalized, and centers equity and inclusion issues in their advocacy—in the courtroom and in the profession. River is openly autistic, ADHD, transgender, queer, and non-binary, and recognizes that her white privilege informs her experience of those identities. River is an active member of Colorado’s legal community, regularly presenting on appellate practice and EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) issues.

 

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