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Redefining public defense.

The Bronx Defenders Announcements

Federal Court Rules That Detained Immigrants Must Receive Timely Access to Judges

FEDERAL COURT RULES THAT DETAINED IMMIGRANTS MUST RECEIVE TIMELY ACCESS TO JUDGES Ruling Creates 10-Day Requirement, is First in the Nation to Establish Presentment Standards In Immigration Court  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2020 MEDIA CONTACT: Peter Markowitz, Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic, peter.markowitz@yu.edu, 718-877-8817 Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, media@bronxdefenders.org, 917-635-4326 Ben Schaefer, NYCLU, media@nyclu.org,…

Legal Advocates Announce Launch of ‘Health is Justice’ Website to Support Decarceration Efforts During COVID-19 Pandemic 

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***  November 30, 2020  CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Today, The Bronx Defenders, along with partner advocacy organizations, announced the launch of the ‘Health is Justice’ Litigation Hub, a powerful tool that will allow lawyers, journalists, academics, and advocates to access vital information about the impact of…

NYC Defenders Renew Call for Urgent Reforms of the Criminal Legal System Following New Democratic Supermajority

November 23, 2020 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***  NYC Defenders Renew Call for Urgent Reforms of the Criminal Legal System Following…

NYIFUP Statement About Hudson County’s Contract with ICE

November 17, 2020 NYIFUP Statement About Hudson County’s Contract with ICE  The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) provides free, high-quality representation to detained people facing deportation in New York City. Our clients are New Yorkers who are detained in county jails that include the Hudson County Jail in New Jersey. NYIFUP is run…

Bronx Defenders Urge City and State Officials to Assist Incarcerated People with Stimulus Check Applications

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Bronx Defenders Urge City and State Officials to Assist Incarcerated People with Stimulus Check Applications Nationwide Injunction Issued Recently Found that Incarcerated People Are Entitled to Benefits   October 5, 2020 Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – A federal court ruled that thousands of incarcerated people and their children…

Bronx Defenders & New York Giants Announce Partnership in Fight for Social Justice

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***  August 10, 2020 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Jennifer Conley, New York Giants (Jennifer.Conley@giants.nfl.net) NEW YORK – The Bronx Defenders and the New York Giants are proud to announce they have partnered together in the fight to combat inequities in the criminal, immigration, family, and civil legal systems. 10 Giants players and 3 Giants coaches have partnered with…

Attorneys for Detained Immigrants Demand Their Release from Bergen County Jail Amid Heat Wave and Reports of Broken Air Conditioning

July 27, 2020 CONTACTS: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, 917-294-9348, AILopez@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, 917-635-4326, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, 203-213-9303, dball@bds.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation to…

NY Legislature Sends Driver’s License Suspension Reform Bill to Gov. Cuomo’s Desk

Driven By Justice drivenbyjustice.org For Immediate Release: July 22 Contact: jdavies@ffjc.us rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org  Legislation Would End Widespread Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Traffic Debt   Today, the New York Senate joined the Assembly in passing the Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act.  The vast majority of New York driver’s license suspensions are for traffic tickets that residents…

Bronx Defenders Statement on Passage of Protect Our Courts Act

July 22, 2020 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Sarah Deri Oshiro, Managing Director of the Immigration Practice at The Bronx Defenders, issued the following statement in response to the passage in the New York State Senate today of the Protect Our Courts Act: “We applaud the New York State…

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…

Bronx Defenders Letter to City Council Re: NYPD Police Property Seizure During the Recent Black Lives Matter Protests and COVID-19

Sent Via Email  July 8, 2020  Donovan J. Richards, Chair Committee on Public Safety New York City Council 250 Broadway New York, NY 10007  Re: NYPD Police Property Seizure During the Recent Black Lives Matter Protests and COVID-19  Dear Chairman Richards and Public Safety Committee Members:  The protests ignited by the murder of George Floyd…

Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders: Virtual Public Hearing on Police/General Public Interactions During Recent Protests

New York State Attorney General Letitia James Virtual Public Hearing on Police/General Public Interactions During Recent Protests Wednesday, June 17, 2020  Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders  The Bronx Defenders (“BxD”) is a public defender non-profit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system, and, in doing…

Press Release: NYC Public Defenders Demand At Least $1 Billion Cut to NYPD Budget

June 26, 2020 Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Jared Chausow, Brooklyn Defender Services (JChausow@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) Lori Zeno, Queens Defenders (lzeno@queensdefenders.org) NYC Public Defenders Demand At Least $1 Billion Cut to NYPD…

Bronx Defenders Statement on DACA Decision

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***  Bronx Defenders Statement on DACA Decision  June 18, 2020  CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Sarah Deri Oshiro, Managing Director of the Immigration Practice at The Bronx Defenders, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision Thursday blocking the Trump Administration from ending the…

The Bronx Defenders, ALAA Announce Recognition of Staff Union

Contact: Justine Olderman | The Bronx Defenders | JustineO@BronxDefenders.org Alexi Shalom | ALAA | ashalom@alaa.org BRONX, NY – Today, The Bronx Defenders recognized the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys – UAW Local 2325 as the collective bargaining representative of its workers, pursuant to a card check. The Bronx Defenders management and staff now look forward…

Bronx Defenders Statement on Passage of STAT Act and 50-A Repeal

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Bronx Defenders Statement on Passage of STAT Act and 50-A Repeal  June 9, 2020 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, released the following statement in response to the passage of criminal justice reforms in Albany, including the STAT Act…

Joint NYC Defender Statement On Efforts to Circumvent Law and Detain Protestors

June 4, 2020 ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, RHaskins@legal-aid.org Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, SMccann@ndsny.org Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders, hpowell@queensdefenders.org Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services, LToddmedina@nycds.org (NEW YORK, NY) – Brooklyn Defender Services, The…

Joint NYC Defender Statement On NYPD Brutality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2020 CONTACTS: Jared Chausow, Brooklyn Defender Services, JChausow@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, RHaskins@legal-aid.org Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, SMccann@ndsny.org Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders, hpowell@queensdefenders.org Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services, LToddmedina@nycds.org Joint NYC Defender Statement On NYPD Brutality…

Defenders, LGBTQ+ Advocates, Elected Officials And Others Request The Immediate Release Of TGNCNBI New Yorkers and Other Vulnerable Populations From Jail And Prison Custody

May 1, 2020 Contact: Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, rhaskins@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org     (NEW YORK, NY) – Public defender organizations, LGBTQ+ advocates, elected officials, and others, in a recent letter to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Department of Corrections…

Seven Medically Vulnerable Immigrants in ICE Detention Seek Release Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Represented By Legal Aid, Bronx Defenders, Paul Weiss, ACLU-NJ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2020 CONTACTS: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, ailopez@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Hanna Johnson, ACLU, HJohnson@aclu.org Paloma Aguas, ACLU-NJ, paguas@aclu-nj.org  Seven Medically Vulnerable Immigrants in ICE Detention Seek Release Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Represented By Legal Aid, Bronx Defenders, Paul Weiss, ACLU-NJ (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal…

Legal Aid, Bronx Defenders, ACLU Win Immediate Release of Five Medically-Vulnerable Immigrants in ICE Detention, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

April 13, 2020 CONTACTS: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, ailopez@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Hanna Johnson, ACLU, HJohnson@aclu.org   ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Legal Aid, Bronx Defenders, ACLU Win Immediate Release of Five Medically-Vulnerable Immigrants in ICE Detention, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic (NEW YORK, NY) –The Legal Aid Society, The Bronx Defenders, and The…

Bronx Defenders Wins Immediate Release of 3 Individuals Vulnerable to COVID-19 in NYC Jails

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Bronx Defenders Wins Immediate Release of 3 Individuals Vulnerable to COVID-19 in NYC Jails  April 8, 2020 CONTACT: Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, 917-635-4326, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org (NEW YORK, NY) – A judge today ordered the immediate release of three people detained in New York City jails who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 in…