District Attorney Alvin Bragg plans to spend $9 million to provide social workers and housing services to those who want them. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Courts and the Judiciary”
Hochul’s Big Choice: Picking New York’s Most Powerful Judge
By Gotham Rex on December 13, 2022
The Court of Appeals shifted to the right under the polarizing leadership of Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. Democrats hope the governor’s nominee to replace her will move it to the left. Source: New York Times
Judge Blocks Licenses for Some Cannabis Dispensaries in New York
By Gotham Rex on November 11, 2022
The move affects 63 of the 150 licenses that the state planned to issue. Source: New York Times
Prosecutions for Fire Safety Violations Dropped by 98% in New York City
By Gotham Rex on October 5, 2022
The dramatic decline has prompted concerns about safety just months after the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. Source: New York Times
Court Win Bolsters Push to Highlight Prosecutors’ Misconduct
By Gotham Rex on July 22, 2022
A group of law professors have tried to strengthen the disciplinary process for prosecuting attorneys by making complaints public. Source: New York Times
Why Judges Keep Recusing Themselves From a N.Y.C. Vaccine Mandate Case
By Gotham Rex on July 1, 2022
The city’s teachers, who sued over vaccine requirements, said the judges assigned to the case owned thousands of dollars of Covid-19 vaccine-maker stock, which could affect their rulings. Source: New York Times
In Bronx Housing Court, Tenants Fight to Stay in Their Homes
By Gotham Rex on June 26, 2022
Since New York’s eviction moratorium ended in January, tenants and their landlords are returning to housing court. Source: New York Times
Man Who Carried Confederate Flag Into Capitol During Jan. 6 Attack Goes on Trial
By Gotham Rex on June 13, 2022
Kevin Seefried of Delaware was one of the first in a wave of pro-Trump rioters to breach the building where Congress was certifying electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Source: New York Times
70 N.Y. Judges Went on a Montauk Retreat. 20 Came Down With the Virus.
By Gotham Rex on May 18, 2022
A judicial gathering at a seaside resort, with karaoke included, became a superspreader event. Source: New York Times
Family Court Lawyers Flee Low-Paying Jobs. Parents and Children Suffer.
By Gotham Rex on April 29, 2022
New York hasn’t raised the attorneys’ fees since 2004, creating a shortage that has denied the most vulnerable their constitutional right to a lawyer. Source: New York Times
New York’s Bail Laws Are Changing Again. Here’s How.
By Gotham Rex on April 11, 2022
Governor Kathy Hochul pushed for a rewrite of the 2019 laws governing the criminal justice system. Source: New York Times
New York’s Bail Laws, Reconsidered: 5 Things to Know
By Gotham Rex on March 29, 2022
Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing legislative leaders to adopt changes to the state’s bail laws as part of the state budget, due April 1. Source: New York Times
Push for More Restrictive Bail Law Gains a Key Ally: Gov. Hochul
By Gotham Rex on March 17, 2022
Ms. Hochul wants to expand the list of crimes eligible for bail in New York, and give judges the power to consider the danger a defendant poses in setting bail for certain crimes. Source: New York Times
Thomas Demakos, Judge in Howard Beach Murder Case, Dies at 98
By Gotham Rex on March 14, 2022
In a notorious 1987 trial over the death of a Black man in New York City, he ruled that defense lawyers could not exclude potential jurors on the basis of race. Source: New York Times
New York’s Chief Judge Wants to Consolidate the Court Network
By Gotham Rex on February 16, 2022
Chief Judge Janet DiFiore wants the State Legislature to approve her plan to consolidate the state’s sprawling court network, which would condense 11 trial courts into 2. Source: New York Times