Brett L. Tolman

Brett L. Tolman is the executive director for Right On Crime. He was a leading figure in the drafting and passage of the First Step Act, one of the most sweeping reforms of the federal criminal justice system in decades. Prior to entering private practice, Tolman was appointed by President George Bush in 2006 as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah and held that office for nearly 4 years from 2006-2009. In 2009 he handled the prosecution of Brian David Mitchell, the alleged kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart.

Criminal Justice

Trump is making it harder for dangerous people to get bail. Texas led the way.

Originally published in the Houston Chronicle. In the national debate over bail policy, Texas has refused to gamble with public safety. Other jurisdictions embraced blanket cashless bail policies that turned courthouses into revolving doors and allowed repeat criminals and violent offenders to walk free. But long before recent headlines, Texas began charting a different course. With...

September 5, 2025
Criminal Justice

Why Biden’s documents mess could be one of the biggest political scandals in American history

America’s Justice Department has become politicized and the Biden documents scandal begs the question, what did Merrick Garland know? The political weaponization of the U.S. Department of Justice finally hit a wall last week as Attorney General Merrick B. Garland boxed himself into having to appoint a special counsel to examine classified documents squirreled away in multiple...

January 16, 2023