New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill just before Christmas that would have made it easier for people who have pleaded guilty to crimes to challenge their convictions, Maysoon Kahn reports for the Associated Press. The bill would have expanded the types of evidence that could be considered proof of innocence, including video footage or evidence of someone else confessing to a crime and would have allowed consideration for arguments that a person was coerced into a false … Read the rest
In a first-time joint appearance The mayors of Chicago, New York City, and Denver renewed their collective call for the federal government to step up resources as the cities near a “breaking point” in coping with the crisis, Caroline Kubzansky reports for the Chicago Tribune. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston repeated their requests for the U.S. government to boost funding to cities and states receiving newcomers and to expedite … Read the rest
New York’s program placing the first 150 retail cannabis dispensary licenses into the hands of entrepreneurs with past marijuana convictions is now on pause as a lawsuit into the legitimacy of the program leaves New York Cannabis social equity in limbo.
The state’s Office of Cannabis Management which operates the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program (CAURD) was sued last month by three veterans who alleged the program’s requirements are unconstitutional.
The Conditional Adult Use program was designed to give individuals … Read the rest
On July 28, 2023, in response to three separate fires at Battery Energy Storage System (“BESS”) locations in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the creation of an inter-agency fire safety working group. The Fire Safety Working Group, to be comprised of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Public Service, and the Department of … Read the rest
The Congressional Judiciary Committee last month held a four-hour hearing, “Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan” to understand better why New York City’s crime rates were “out of control” and what was wrong with its criminal justice system. Putting aside how the hearing spent some time specifically on any possible role Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg played in New York City’s crime rates, the hearing itself was not a bad idea. The problem was the Committee held its hearings about … Read the rest
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The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.
A response to the mortgage crisis of 2007, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 ushered in a host of new federal rules and oversight for the financial sector. This week, we highlight cert petitions that ask the court to consider, among other things, whether that … Read the rest
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The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.
The Sixth Amendment gives anyone standing trial the right “to be confronted with the witnesses against” them. In January, the justices held that a New York court violated the confrontation clause when it upheld a homicide conviction although the jury had heard an incriminating statement from a co-defendant who did … Read the rest
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The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Monday in the case of Louis Ciminelli, an executive convicted of federal wire fraud in connection with bid-rigging to secure a $ 750 million New York state contract. The trial court informed a federal jury regarding a “right to control” theory of fraud, and the jury convicted Ciminelli. At argument, Justice Neil Gorsuch remarked at the “radical agreement” among all that the right-to-control theory was flawed, but there was less consensus as … Read the rest