Archive
Reuters: NYS law requires two forms of bail for defendants: Court of Appeals
Trial judges in New York are required by state law to set at least two forms of bail for criminal defendants, the state’s top court…
The Bronx Defenders Legal Director Marika Meis successfully argues in New York Court of Appeals that courts must set alternatives to cash bail
The New York Court of Appeals today ruled in favor of Bronx Defenders client, Sean McManus, in a decision that will have widespread impact on the state…
Michael Oppenheimer and Justine Olderman spoke at CUNY Law School symposium “Incarcerated Until Proven Guilty”
On February 23, 2012 at the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY Law Review hosted a panel on the bail system in New York. Michael Oppenheimer…
WNYC The Brian Lehrer Show: Loitering Settlement
McGregor Smyth, managing attorney in the civil action practice at Bronx Defenders, discusses the recent class action suit around improper loitering violations. Listen here.
Fixing New York’s Broken Bail System
By Justine Olderman, 16 CUNY L. Rev. 9, CUNY Law Review (Winter 2012) New York City jails are currently filled with people who are serving time but…
Reuters: U.S. judge limits stop and frisk searches in New York’s Bronx
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the New York Police Department to immediately stop conducting trespass stops outside certain residential buildings in the borough of…
Amsterdam News: Hands Off: Black community responds to U.S. District Court ruling of NYPD’s “Clean Halls” as unconstitutional
Could this be the first step to eliminating “stop and frisk?” On Tuesday morning, a U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York…
The Huffington Post: Stop-And-Frisk Without Suspicion Must Cease In The Bronx, Judge Says
NEW YORK — The New York City Police Department likely turned a blind eye to violations of the constitutional rights of thousands of individuals detained…
AlterNet: Hypocritical NYPD Continues Racist Pot Arrest Crusade
Despite a well-publicized police order instructing officers not to use bogus pretexts to justify marijuana arrests, New York City remains the pot-bust capital of the…
New York Times: Letter in response to “The Jury’s Duty When the Law Is Unfair”
To the Editor: What is hidden behind the heated philosophical debate that jury nullification generates are the real people and communities affected by prosecutorial and…