New York Legalizes Recreational Use of Cannabis On March 31, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law the “Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act,” and New York became the 15th state to decriminalize adult recreational use of cannabis. The measure earlier cleared the state Senate on a 40-23 margin and had passed the state Assembly on a […]
Category: New York City
Article: Small “Nudges” Can Boost Defendants Showing Up for Court Dates
NYC Use Small “Nudges” to Reduce Missed Court Dates Missing scheduled court dates or appointments is a persistent problem in many areas. In New York City, as many as 47% of criminal defendants given a ticket for a misdemeanor or other relatively minor offense fail to show up when scheduled. This may not only lead […]
Article: New York Criminal Law Reforms Took Effect in January 2020
Major changes in New York’s criminal law, backed by Governor Cuomo and passed by the state legislature in 2019, took effect in 2020, and local and state governments are still debating how those changes will affect criminal law enforcers and defendants. Here’s a quick summary of changes the new law made as of January 1, […]
Article: High Court Hears Challenge to New York City Gun Transport Law
For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. Supreme Court on December 2 heard arguments on Second Amendment issues. In New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. City of New York, the state affiliate of the National Rifle Association and three New York City residents challenge regulations city police adopted banning licensed […]
Article: Upstate County Criminalizes Behavior to “Annoy” the Police
Being annoying won’t do much to advance your popularity or social life, but in one upstate county, New Yorkers might go to jail for being annoying — if a person they’re annoying is working for the police force or other public safety organization. Jailtime for Individuals Who Annoy Police Officers? In Monroe County, which includes […]
Article: New York Governor Will Try Again to Legalize Adult Pot Use
Although failing to make good last year on his plan to legalize adult recreational use of marijuana (or, as the New York penal code has it, “marihuana”), Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has renewed his intention to make that a priority part of his wide-ranging 2020 agenda, which is dubbed “Making Progress Happen.” In his annual […]
Article: NYC “Anti-Gang” Raids Swept Up Many Youth Not in Gangs
A little over three years ago, a large-scale raid by hundreds of New York City police and numerous members of federal law enforcement agencies swept through a North Bronx neighborhood’s homes and a housing project in the early morning hours of April 26. Backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, SWAT teams and over 700 New […]
Article: New York DAs List Cops Who May Be Problematic Witnesses
UPDATE: In November 2019, the Brooklyn DA publicly releases a part of the NYPD do not call list which includes 54 allegedly unreliable cops with questionable credibility. Prosecutors in four New York boroughs are already using still-secret databases they have compiled of police force members who may have problems being believed if they testify as […]
Article: Academics, Defense Lawyers Find Fault with NYC Gang Database
UPDATE: A New York City Council bill that will require the NYPD to notify minors who are suspected to be gang members and tagged to be included in the NYPD Gang Database was re-introduced for another round of hearings last July 23, 2019. The proposed legislation will allow minors an opportunity to contest said designation […]
Article: New York City Council Would Limit Pre-Hire Cannabis Tests
The New York City Council has passed two bills that, if signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, would cut back on testing for marijuana use persons seeking employment, parole or probation, becoming the content for the New York City Drug Testing Law. One measure (Intro. No. 1445), approved on April 9, would forbid most New […]