Recent Blog Posts
Only Two Percent of All Federal Criminal Defendants Go to Trial in America: Why This Should Concern You
According to new data assembled by the federal judiciary and analyzed by the Pew Research Center, trials and acquittals are becoming more and more rare over time, presenting a number of criminal justice issues. Specifically, just in fiscal year 2018, almost 80,000 people were criminal defendants and federal cases, but only two percent of… Read More »
New York City Cracks Down On Alleged Criminal Violations of Food Trucks & Ice Cream Vendors
New York City took strict retaliation actions against dozens of vendors and ice cream truck businesses, towing a number of them in early June after claiming that they owed millions in unpaid parking and traffic tickets. Specifically, the administration claims that, between 2009 and 2017, these trucks engaged in a number of criminal violations,… Read More »
New York & New Jersey Take Action to Legalize Marijuana In New York & New Jersey
Lawmakers at the New York State capital are currently undergoing negotiations concerning legislation to legalize a number of activities with respect marijuana throughout New York, including cultivation, consumption, distribution, sales, and taxation of the product. With only three weeks to go before the 2019 legislative session ends, and New York being the largest illegal… Read More »
New York Still Stalled On Decriminalizing Marijuana & Other Activities—Potentially Short by Two Votes in The Senate
Whether or not New York will finally decriminalize marijuana (for recreational use) could come down to two votes in the state Senate. The current measure would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana, as well as allow for the expungement of records for prior marijuana-related convictions. In order to pass the Senate without first obtaining outside… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether Civil Rights Act Protects LGBT Individuals from Discrimination in The Workplace
During its 2019 2020 session, the US Supreme Court will decide whether LGBT individuals are protected from employment discrimination under the Civil Rights Act. Specifically, the Court will hear three cases involving employment discrimination against those who are gay or transgender and who were fired due to this fact. History of Laws & EEOC… Read More »
New York’s Police Secrecy Law Prevents Addressing Police Misconduct
For a number of years, a New York state police secrecy law has kept a number of families with loved ones who were killed by the police in the dark when it comes to obtaining relevant police misconduct disciplinary records and evidence from grand jury investigations. As a result, these families are rarely able… Read More »
New Jersey Lawmakers Fail to Decriminalize Recreational Use of Marijuana Via Legislation
It’s official: New Jersey lawmakers have given up on legalizing (i.e. decriminalizing) recreational marijuana in New Jersey by passing legislation, and have instead decided to pursue the issue via a ballot initiative next year. This follows the general pattern of a number of other states, whereby the only state that was able to legalize… Read More »
As Facial Recognition Software Becomes a Routine Policing Tool In New York & U.S., Civil Rights Concerns Grow
Facial recognition software programs are becoming a routine policing tool in the United States. In fact, the market is expected to reach $375 million by 2025. In a nutshell, the software allows police officers to input images of people’s faces–usually taken in the field or from surveillance–and then compare them to photos that already… Read More »
Federal Government Pressed On Legal Status of Marijuana & Related Products
In late May, a Federal appeals court reinstated the case brought against the federal government concerning the Schedule I status of marijuana. Plaintiffs argue that marijuana continuing to be regulated as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act risks their health and perpetuates economic inequities. Meanwhile, in response to the New York… Read More »
Will New York Make It Illegal to Walk & Use Cell Phone at The Same Time?
New York state lawmakers are considering passing legislation that would make it a crime to text and walk at the same time in New York. Specifically, the bill would make it illegal for people to cross the street while looking at (“viewing”) their “portable electronic devices”; even though there is no real evidence indicating… Read More »
