Category: Archive

Gothamist: Cuomo And State Democrats Still At Odds Over How To Legalize Marijuana

“Eli Northrup, an attorney with the Bronx Defenders, said the governor’s proposal also doesn’t go far enough to remove criminal penalties for marijuana-related offenses and in some cases criminalizes them further. “Right now, it’s a misdemeanor to sell a small amount of marijuana to someone under the age of 21, but the governor’s proposal would […]

Bronx Justice News: Lawyers File Bronx Petition Demanding NYC Prisoners Be Offered Vaccine

“Justine Olderman, Executive Director of the Bronx Defenders, said the state has routinely disregarded the health and safety of incarcerated people during the pandemic. “Withholding the vaccine from people being detained in congregate settings goes against CDC guidelines. It also goes against the moral responsibility the state has towards the people it incarcerates,” Olderman said. […]

City & State: The 2021 Nonprofit Power 100

“During Justine Olderman’s time in leadership roles at The Bronx Defenders, she has helped facilitate the expansion of its criminal practice, created an in-house forensic practice group and worked to promote changes to New York’s cash bail system. Under her watch, the legal aid organization has spent the past year pushing for COVID-19 vaccine access […]

COVID-19 Vaccine Lawsuit

Verified Petition OSC Attorney Affirmation Alberto Frias Affidavit Affirmation of Drs. Adewunmi and Fenig Affirmation of Dr Gonsalves Randy Johns Affidavit Charles Holden Affidavit  

Letter to ICE Re: Release of people from ICE custody pursuant to January 20 memorandum

February 3, 2021 Via Email only – thomas.decker@ice.dhs.gov  Thomas Decker Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 201 Varick Street New York, NY 10014 Re: Release of people from ICE custody pursuant to January 20 memorandum Dear Director Decker, We write on behalf of the three NYIFUP programs at Brooklyn Defender Services, […]

The City: After ‘Horrifying’ Rochester Arrest, City Advocates Call on Cuomo to Keep Kids Out of Cop Hands

“Following the release of body-camera footage that showed Rochester police pepper-spraying a handcuffed 9-year-old girl, New York City advocates are renewing a push to raise the minimum age of criminal prosecution statewide. In a letter sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Albany leaders on Wednesday, public defender groups from all five boroughs pushed for passage of legislation that would hike the […]

The New York State Senate: Senate To Repeal ‘Walking While Trans’ Law

Deb Lolai, Supervising Attorney in the LGBTQ Defense Project at The Bronx Defenders, said, “We applaud the Senate’s passage of S1351, which will repeal New York’s ‘Walking While Trans’ law. This bill is a critical step toward eliminating enmeshed penalties — such as reduced access to employment, fewer housing options, and punitive immigration consequences — […]

NYIFUP Letter Re: Bergen County Jail’s Lack of Heat

January 29, 2021 Via Email only – thomas.r.decker@dhs.ice.gov   Thomas Decker Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 201 Varick Street New York, NY 10014   Dear Director Decker,   We have received several alarming reports over the last 36 hours from clients at Bergen County  Jail that there is no heat in various […]

Demand Letter Re: Vaccination of People Held in Prisons and Jails

  Via e-mail  January 27, 2021  The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of the State of New York New York State Capitol Building Albany, New York 12224   Re: Vaccination of People Held in Prisons and Jails  Dear Governor Cuomo:  As science and experience have both made clear, jails and prisons perpetuate the COVID-19 pandemic,  both […]