Gothamist: Bronx DA Slow To Drop Open Marijuana Cases After Legalization, Public Defenders Say
“The Bronx Defenders sent a letter to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark’s office on April 20th—three weeks after the law was passed—urging her to begin acting in accordance with the law. The letter estimated there were “hundreds” of pending cases in the Bronx in which the most serious charges were criminal sale or possession of…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: National bail fund to expand in Deep South
“The national Bail Project, which helps low-income defendants get out of jail by bailing them out as their criminal cases progress through the courts, was founded three years ago, following a successful 10-year campaign led by Steinberg and the Bronx Defenders in New York City.” Read the full article here
NY City Lens: The Most Pressing Issue for Incarcerated Women: Sex Abuse and Harassment
“Advocates also sounded the alarm about the sexual abuse and harassment of transgender women in New York City facilities. Dany Greene of the LGBTQ Defense Project at The Bronx Defenders testified that transgender women are still being housed in male jails at Riker’s Island. Conversely, even if they are housed correctly, according to their gender…
Law360: ICE Transfers Muddle Honduran Man’s 3rd Circ. Habeas Bid
“The Third Circuit on Wednesday questioned the government’s argument that the habeas petition of a Honduran citizen facing deportation should have been filed where he’s currently detained in Louisiana, given that at he’s been shuffled around to facilities in multiple states over the past six years.” Read the full article here
New York Law Journal: White Family Court Clerk Suspended After Allegedly Using Racial Slurs During Virtual Proceeding
“A white clerk in New York City Family Court was allegedly overheard during a virtual court proceeding Thursday calling a Black teenage defendant the N-word as well as another slur, according to the state Office of Court Administration and a news report. The Office of Court Administration on Friday afternoon suspended the clerk, Donna Prainito,…
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: De Blasio appoints, reappoints judges, many with ties to Brooklyn
“Judge Gigi Parris was formerly a corporate associate with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. After three years, she became a Family Defense Practice Staff Attorney with The Bronx Defenders.” Read the full article here
Law360: NYC Names 2 To Family Court, Taps Former Judge As Adviser
“New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed two new judges to family court and tapped former Supreme Court Justice Helen E. Freedman to serve in the advisory committee on the…” Read the full article here
Pix11: DAs tossing more drug cases tied to NYPD detective accused of framing innocent people
“The Exoneration Project, The Legal Aid Society, The Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, The Office of the Appellate Defender and The Center for Appellate Litigation issues a joint statement following the news: “Although their actions came late, we thank DA Vance and DA Clark for taking this necessary…
The Nation: Biden Has a Chance to End the Jail-to-Deportation Pipeline
“Guillermo Bustos migrated to the United States when he was a child. He spent his formative years in Los Angeles, where he graduated from Huntington Park High School in 2006. Guillermo’s entire family and life is in California. He was raised by his mother, Maria Bustos, a lawful permanent resident, and his older sister and…
The Riverdale Press: Advocates applaud New York legalizing marijuana
“A number of the neighborhoods that were most targeted for marijuana enforcement are out here in the Bronx,” said Eli Northrup, a policy lawyer for The Bronx Defenders, a public defender non-profit that helps low-income Bronx residents. “We represent people every day who are affected by marijuana convictions. Even if marijuana policing has gone down…
Insider: For advocates, New York’s new legal weed bill is a major victory against racist drug sentencing
“As a public defender, Eli Northrup and the organization he works for, the Bronx Defenders, represented thousands of young Black and brown community members facing life-altering marijuana possession charges. Northrup joined the fight to legalize marijuana in New York after witnessing countless lives destroyed over minor marijuana convictions while “mothers in the Upper East Side…
Call about a Shooting Sparks Drug Arrest in Bedford Park
“Eli Northrup, policy counsel for The Bronx Defenders, was quoted as saying, “Because there’s no regulated market, you would be subject to a criminal violation and a fine of up to $250, if you sell any amount under 3 ounces. Anything more than that is a misdemeanor.” Read the full article here
NY Amsterdam News: Police reforms locked in place, but nobody’s happy
“But Justine Olderman, executive director of The Bronx Defenders, deemed the final plan empty and toothless. “This weak and unimaginative plan will do nothing to address the NYPD’s endemic racism, nor will it reduce the footprint of policing in communities of color,” said Olderman. “Instead, the proposals funnel more funding towards failed policing strategies and…
Spectrum News1: New Marijuana Law Expunges Convictions for Many
“Some experts recommend those with certain immigration statuses who might benefit from expungement to talk to a lawyer. Eli Northrup with The Bronx Defenders says communities of color have been largely impacted by marijuana laws. “Even though, white people, people of color use [marijuana] at similar rates, people of color are the ones arrested, convicted…
News12 The Bronx: Gov. Cuomo signs bill legalizing recreational marijuana for adults in the state
“Eli Northup, an attorney for The Bronx Defenders, says the decision is long overdue. “If you ever had a conviction for a marijuana offense and that behavior is now legal, that record is automatically expunged,” Northup says. “You don’t have to do anything.” Read the full article here
Gothamist: “Can I Smoke Weed On The Street?”: What You Need To Know About Legal Marijuana In NY
“It’s a violation to sell any amount of marijuana unlawfully under the MRTA, but harsh penalties for selling lower amounts have been removed. “Because there’s no regulated market, you would be subject to a criminal violation and a fine of up to $250, if you sell any amount under 3 ounces,” said Eli Northrup, policy…
Spectrum News 1: Judge Orders New York to Vaccinate Prison Inmates
“The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and Brooklyn Defender Services brought forward the lawsuit and said this ruling confirmed the state’s decision to leave inmates out was “dangerous and discriminatory.” Read the full article here
New York Daily News: N.Y. state lawmakers finalize deal on legalizing recreational marijuana
“Public defenders praised the legislation. “Marijuana justice means working to undo the immense damage done by the war on drugs and ensuring that the communities most impacted by prohibition — including many here in the Bronx — have a chance to benefit from legalization as well,” Eli Northrup of the Bronx Defenders said in a…
Davis Vanguard: NYC Public Defenders Urge End to Jail Phone Recording after 1,500+ Calls Wrongly Bugged
“NEW YORK, NY – Recent information reveals more than 1,500 phone calls made from those incarcerated here were wrongly recorded, leading New York City public defenders to urge an end to all recordings of phone calls made by those in city jails, and for the city to not renew its contract with Securus, a prison…
PIX11: Inside the deal to legalize marijuana in New York
“Eli Northup is an attorney with the Bronx Defenders. He hopes the deal will also include a provision to automatically wipe out past marijuana convictions from criminal records. “Marijuana convictions can affect people in all these different ways outside of the criminal context, in the child welfare system, when you’re applying for housing, education, there’s…
Fox5 NY: In protocol breach, calls between Rikers Island inmates, lawyers recorded
“Powers said he and his colleagues requested a DOC audit after being contacted by concerned attorneys from the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit that represents clients in the justice system. The audit found hundreds of phone numbers that were supposed to be on the “do not record” list were actually recorded.” Read the full article here
New York Daily News: NYC Correction Department officials brushed off concerns about recorded jailhouse calls between inmates and legal advisers
“[We are calling] for an immediate end to all recording of phone calls made by people incarcerated in New York City jails,” the Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders said in a joint statement.” Read the full article…
Fox: In protocol breach, calls between Rikers Island inmates, lawyers recorded
“Powers said he and his colleagues requested a DOC audit after being contacted by concerned attorneys from the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit that represents clients in the justice system. The audit found hundreds of phone numbers that were supposed to be on the “do not record” list were actually recorded.” Read the full article here
New York Daily News: NYC’s 5 DA offices wound up with recordings of confidential jailhouse calls between inmates and lawyers
“[We] demand a full account as to how this was allowed to occur so that we can fully understand and assess the breadth and depth of this breach, how many of our clients cases were implicated, how this information was used, and whether these violations were of such a prejudicial nature that dismissal of the…
New York Daily News: NYC Correction Department officials brushed off concerns about recorded jailhouse calls between inmates and legal advisers
“[We are calling] for an immediate end to all recording of phone calls made by people incarcerated in New York City jails,” the Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders said in a joint statement. Read the full article…