Author: BXD
Queens Daily Eagle: Public defenders sue state to stop in-person criminal proceedings during COVID crisis
“Until Monday, arraignments, case conferences and other criminal court proceedings were handled remotely, with defendants appearing by video conference since March. The plaintiffs include The Legal Aid Society, Queens Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and New York county Defender Service. The organizations, which represent low-income defendants in criminal […]
The New York Times: N.Y.P.D. Says It Used Restraint During Protests. Here’s What the Videos Show.
“A civil rights lawyer with the legal aid group the Bronx Defenders, Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, said she saw violations of constitutional rights in nearly all the videos, including the rights to free speech and due process. “The primary question is whether the force is reasonable, but you have to remember, if they’re not arresting someone, […]
Law360: NYC Tenant Bar, Judge Clash Over Looming In-Person Trials
“Jared Trujillo, president of ALAA, added Monday that he will not send his members to court until there has been a “meaningful” meeting between the court’s public health experts and outside experts hired by the unions. Hundreds of attorneys could potentially withhold their labor citywide, according to Trujillo, depending when other boroughs move to resume […]
Law360: Legal Aid Sues To Stop Criminal Courts Reopening In NYC
“The suit comes on the eve of a scheduled July 15 reopening of criminal courts in the city. OCA announced its plans in an administrative order last week, according to the complaint, which was filed in New York federal court. Legal Aid and the other groups — which include Brooklyn Defender Services, the Bronx Defenders, New […]
NYC Public Defenders File Federal Lawsuit to Halt OCA’s Rushed and Dangerous Decision to Reconvene In-Person, Non-Emergency Court Matters
July 14, 2020 Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (dball@bds.org) Esther Kao, The Bronx Defenders (estherk@bronxdefenders.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders, (hpowell@queensdefenders.org) NYC Public Defenders File Federal Lawsuit to Halt OCA’s Rushed and […]
BxD v OCA
The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and Queens Defenders filed a lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA) to prevent the rushed, dangerous, and […]
Queens Daily Eagle: NYC public defenders threaten to sue state to stop in-person criminal proceedings
“The timing of this order will prevent people with disabilities — our offices’ clients and their attorneys — from requesting and receiving the reasonable accommodations they need to safely attend and participate in court proceedings and do so without fear of incarceration if they assert those needs and rights,” they write. Public defenders with disabilities […]
The Riverdale Press: Amid protests, budget cuts, crime rises in 5-0
“But that’s an unfair claim, said Eli Northrup, criminal defense policy counsel at the Bronx Defenders, a public defender nonprofit. “If anything, bail reform in the last month has been rolled back,” Northrup said. “I don’t think there’s any evidence that bail reform has anything to do with this. If you look, crime is actually […]
Politico: Protesters unable to retrieve property seized during mass arrests, lawyers say
“The attorneys’ group says NYPD property seizures have been a problem for years — made worse by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting shutdowns, and further exacerbated by the chaos surrounding the protests. “The police have an incredible responsibility for safeguarding and accounting for people’s property. It’s a constitutional right that you can’t be deprived of […]
Legal Services Staff Association: Multi-Union Legal Services Statement In Opposition to the Reopening of Housing Court
“We are unionized legal services unions and workers who represent tenants in New York City’s housing courts. Today, people of all walks of life are participating in a righteous uprising that demands an end to state-sanctioned violence against Black lives. In conjunction with this uprising, communities are renewing their demands for programs and policies that […]