Tag Archives: New City Criminal Defense Attorney
The Use of Mug Shot Identification in New York Police Lineups, Despite Unreliability
The New York Times recently ran an article on the use of mug shot searches in New York, despite the serious risks of mistaken identification associated with the technique. The technique involves asking victims to search through hundreds of matching photos after detectives enter a description of a perpetrator into the database. New York… Read More »
New Jersey Firearms Law Could Lead NYPD Police to Be Arrested
Under a new law, New York officers could be arrested in New Jersey if they travel through the state of New Jersey, off-duty, with a high-capacity firearm magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds. However, legislation is pending which would allow officers to travel with the firearms between the two states, even while… Read More »
New York City’s New Fleet of Drones Has Civil Rights Advocates Concerned
In early December, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced that it would soon be launching a fleet of 14 drones across the city to monitor people and “reach remote areas in crime scenes.” This has a number of civil rights advocates concerned because the policy governing the drones technically allows for their use… Read More »
New York State’s Court of Appeals Finds That Immigrants Deserve Jury Trials, Regardless Of Charge
In a huge step forward for immigrants accused of crimes and threatened with deportation, on November 27, New York State’s Court of Appeals ruled that immigrants are entitled to jury trials, regardless of the severity of the crime with which they are charged, because the potential penalty of deportation is so severe. This is… 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 »
A Discussion of Views on the Death Penalty Surrounding the Pittsburgh Shooting
In the wake of the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Pittsburgh synagogue in late October and resulted in the death of 11 people, federal and state prosecutors are preparing to move forward with capital murder charges against the suspect connected with the incident, Robert Bowers. Bowers was charged in a 44-count indictment that… Read More »
Civil Rights Enforcement & Education in the Trump Era
The Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos have drawn a significant amount of civil rights concerns, especially when it comes to affirmative action policies, school segregation, and Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in all federally-funded education programs. Many feel that DeVos has effectively all but completely abandoned her civil… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Guilty Plea Appeal Waiver Case
We’ve previously discussed the issue of plea bargains being on the rise in the United States. It has become such an issue that many argue that it has turned our criminal justice system upside down. In fact, today, an estimated 97 percent of federal and 94 percent of state prosecutions now end in plea… Read More »
Proposed Law Would Expand New Jersey’s DWI Ignition Interlock Program
A new law proposed in New Jersey (S824) could have significant impacts on anyone who is convicted of a DUI/DWI (i.e. driving while intoxicated) by increasing the number of individuals who must use an ignition interlock system. A DUI ignition interlock acts like a breathalyzer and won’t allow a car to start if the… Read More »
Will Sexual Assault Cases Ever Be The Same After The #MeToo Movement?
The most recent trial against Bill Cosby for sexual assault has many speculating that trials like these are now forever changed since the onset of the #MeToo movement. Many are now commenting that changing cultural perspectives are now affecting courtroom procedures, such as admissibility of evidence. While the first jury to weigh whether Cosby… Read More »