Author: BXD
amNewYork: City’s public defenders urge lawmakers to pass ‘critical’ criminal justice reforms
“The time for meaningful reform has come. Impacted communities and the greater public – your constituents – now recognize the profound injustices that Albany has permitted to exist for decades, while other states have taken action to fix the problems. We need genuine change, and we need it this year.” The Bronx Defenders joined with […]
The Bronx Defenders Announces Chief Operating Officer, Candice Carnage
The Bronx Defenders are proud to announce today that Candice Carnage, an experienced executive with over 20 years of non-profit experience, will serve as the organization’s new Chief Operating Officer. Carnage is a versatile, high-energy executive who leads organizations through change and challenge to support their mission. She is a hands-on leader with an extensive […]
Annual Celebration of Families
Join us Friday, June 22nd for our Annual Celebration of Families! The American Bar Association designated June as National Reunification Month to celebrate the accomplishments of parents in getting their children home. To commemorate this special month and the importance it holds for our clients who are parents, The Bronx Defenders hosts an Annual Celebration of Families event each […]
Jezebel: How the Child Welfare System Criminalizes Black and Brown Motherhood
“When we listen to reporting in the media that tends to be pro-removal of children, parents are bad, black mothers are bad…you’re reading that more than you think. Pay attention and listen to it, and recognize the historical origins of that in this country. The quickness with which white women have told black and brown […]
Leading Civil Rights Organizations Urge Court to Recognize How Oppressive and Racially Biased Policing Constrains the Freedom to Leave
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Bronx Defenders, The Center for Constitutional Rights, The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc., and The New York Civil Liberties Union filed an amicus brief in the New York State Court of Appeals in The People v. Nicholas Hill (APL-2017-00182). In the case, a split First Department panel ruled […]
BxD’s Justine Olderman Interview with BronxNet TV’s “Today’s Verdict”
“What we’re trying to do is redefine public defense and in doing so, transform the way that people are treated in our justice system…we go wherever the client goes and we defend that client by whatever means necessary.” Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders sits down with BronxNet Community Television’s “Today’s Verdict” with […]
USA Today: When cops lie under oath, prosecutors must take some blame
“As a public defender, I have seen innocent people’s lives devastated by charges resulting from lies by police…But police do not go straight from the street to the witness stand.” In this USA Today op-ed, Supervising Criminal Defense attorney Michael Bloch calls for prosecutors, the gatekeepers who usher police through the criminal justice system, to […]
Quartz: The case for Spanish-speaking courts in places like the Bronx—and all over the US
“Simply put, Spanish-speaking Americans rarely receive their constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial. ‘If we’re trying to have a fair justice system, then we need to make the justice system accessible to the constituents and make it reflect the community,’ Morales says.” In this interview with Quartz, Jodi Morales-Vargas, an attorney in our […]
BxD’s Sarah Deri Oshiro speaks with NY1 Noticias’ Pura Política
Sarah Deri Oshiro, managing director of our Immigration Practice speaks with NY1 Noticias about the urgent need for ICE to stop targeting New Yorkers who are seeking due process and for the New York State court system to prohibit ICE from entering our courthouses. Watch the interview here.
In Justice Today: NYPD Agrees To New Rules Limiting Its Seizures of New Yorkers’ Property
“The settlement has far-reaching reforms that will require the NYPD and the Bronx DA to make significant changes to the way they handle these processes. When someone is arrested, they’re supposed to get a voucher indicating what property has been taken. That wasn’t happening on a regular basis, and now as part of this settlement, […]