Category Archives: Criminal Justice
First Step Act Promised To Reform Criminal Justice & Release Those Doing Unfair Time for Drug Crimes
News reports have been dominated by news headlines of the First Step Act, which, if passed by the Senate by the end of December, would make a number of changes to the criminal justice system, including eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing for a number of drug crimes, providing funding for rehabilitation programs, and instituting a… Read More »
New Jersey’s Crime Rates Plunge Post Bail Reform Law
New Jersey’s sharp decline in crime has many wondering if the new rules surrounding bail reform—otherwise known as the Criminal Justice Reform Act (or “Bail Reform Law”)—possibly had an important impact on these statistics. Specifically, violent offenses, such as homicide and robbery, are down more than thirty percent throughout the state within the last… Read More »
Pressure Mounts on Hill over Criminal Justice Reform
There is no question that the U.S. is badly in need of criminal justice reform, especially when it comes to reducing mandatory minimum sentencing. It is largely a bipartisan issue that both major political parties agree on. The current legislation pending in Congress—known as “The First Step Act”—is a step in the right direction;… Read More »
Midterm Elections Will Likely Bring Significant Change to Congress & Our Civil Rights
On November 6, the midterm elections made a number of significant changes to Congress that will likely have long-lasting impacts on criminal justice, voting rights, and other important civil rights. Below, we’ve discussed some of the priority bills that the 116th Congress may tackle, and the prospective impacts on our civil liberties: Immigration A… Read More »
Law Proposed In New Jersey Requiring Pet Groomers to Be Licensed
Pending legislation in New Jersey known as “Bijou’s Law” would force pet groomers to be licensed, or otherwise face strict sanctions. The legislation was born out of a tragedy that occurred, whereby one woman’s dog died at a grooming session, inspiring her to push for changes and require that groomers not only get licensed,… Read More »
New York Council Passes Significant Uber & Lyft Restrictions & Launches Voter Registration Efforts In Jails
During the month of August, a number of important initiatives that affect New Yorkers’ civil rights moved forward, as we discuss in detail below: Increasing Voter Registration for Inmates On August 7, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new voter registration drive for the city’s correctional facilities, which will allow inmates… Read More »
New Report Sheds Alarming Light On Increasing Use Of Guilty Pleas & Decreasing Jury Trials
According to a new report published by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, jury trials have been decreasing significantly to the point where they now occur in fewer than three percent of all state and federal criminal cases. This has raised a number of criminal justice-related concerns, as jury trials are ever-increasingly being… Read More »
The “Gay Or Trans Panic Defense” Could Be On The Way Out
It is a little-known fact that, today, anyone charged with assault or murder can argue that their charges should be reduced because they were simply reacting to their victim’s gender identity or sexual orientation in all but three states (California, Illinois, and Rhode Island). This criminal defense is known as the “gay or trans… Read More »
New Jersey Supreme Court Orders State To Consider Throwing Out 780,000 Warrants
The New Jersey Supreme Court may soon throw out close to 800,000 old warrants for minor offenses, such as local ordinance and parking violations, in an effort to improve the state’s municipal court system. According to Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and a recent, scathing report from the state judiciary committee, these outstanding charges raise… Read More »
Supreme Court Rules Police Need A Warrant To Acquire Cell-Site Records From Wireless Carriers
On June 22nd, the U.S. Supreme Court made a monumental decision upholding protection of privacy under the Fourth Amendment when it decided that the government (i.e. police and law enforcement) first needed to obtain a warrant (and thus demonstrate probable cause) before tracking an individual’s location using cell phone records. The decision makes an… Read More »
