Mark Loudon-Brown to lead panel at NYSACDL Cross Examination CLE
On April 4, 2014, Criminal Defense Practice Supervisor Mark Loudon-Brown will lead a panel at the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ‘Cross to Kill’ CLE. The panel will discuss strategies and techniques related to cross examining DNA experts at trial. From NYSACDL: The introduction of scientific and medical witnesses and evidence present…
MSN Latino: Avanza programa de defensa de inmigrantes
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Oscar Hernández se disponía a firmar su orden de deportación a México cuando un joven abogado que no conocía se presentó en la corte migratoria de Nueva York y le convenció de que no lo hiciera. Ahora Hernández ya no lleva el uniforme naranja de preso: camina libre, trabaja y estudia…
El Diaro: Proyecto en NY logra frenar deportaciones de inmigrantes
Nueva York — Sentados en fila sucesiva en una modesta banqueta y mirando casi todo el tiempo al suelo, cinco personas esposadas y con indumentaria color naranja aguardaban ayer su turno para acercarse a la mesa de la juez de la Corte de Inmigración de Nueva York, Noelle Brennan. Es una imagen habitual en esa…
ABA Journal: NYC proposes settlement in stop-and-frisk cases
A motion to resolve two cases that accuse the New York City Police Department of unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices was filed Thursday in the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the proposed settlement at a Thursday press conference. According to a statement from his office, the city and…
New York Times: Helping Poor Defendants Post Bail in Backlogged Bronx
In October, James Broadus II, then 31, was arrested in Co-op City, the Bronx, and charged with petty larceny and assault. He was accused of taking a book bag from one man and choking another. A judge set bail at $1,000. But Mr. Broadus, who had been working odd jobs, had no savings. His closest…
Huffington Post: Bronx Schools Reduce Policing and Suspensions With Support From Parents
Bronx, NY — On Saturday, November 16th, members of the Bronx School Justice coalition held a public report back on a year’s worth of work to reduce punitive disciplinary measures in Bronx public schools. Instead they are advocating for the use of restorative justice practices and positive disciplinary alternatives in schools. Nearly 120 community members…
The Bronx Defenders Announces the Release of “A Marijuana Arrest” on BuzzFeed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2013 Contact: Molly Kovel, The Bronx Defenders, (718) 508-3421 The Bronx Defenders Announces the Release of “A Marijuana Arrest” on BuzzFeed “A Marijuana Arrest” is a short film collaboration between filmmakers Julie Dressner and Jesse Hicks and advocates from The Bronx Defenders. Bronx, NY – The Bronx Defenders announces BuzzFeed’s…
Buzzfeed: How A Small-Time Marijuana Arrest Has Devastated A Great Teacher’s Life
Watch Bronx Defenders Attorneys Phil Hamilton, Molly Kovel and Scott Levy interviewed in a Buzzfeed documentary regarding their representation of client Alberto Willmore.
NPR News: New Pilot Program Gives Immigrant Detainees Public Defenders
“The court helped find my son not only a lawyer but an angel” – Brunilda Fontanillas Rico’s mother, Brunilda Fontanillas, says she and her son couldn’t afford a private attorney. He was detained in October after an earlier landlord-tenant dispute that escalated into an arrest. Rico’s attorney says that as a lawful permanent resident who…
El Diario: El Bronx pide a De Blasio mayor vigilancia a NYPD
Activistas y vecinos de los edificios de vivienda pública Betances Houses buscan difundir una encuesta bilingüe relacionada con prácticas policiales como “Stop & Frisk.” Por: Zaira Cortés/EDLP El Bronx — Alegando detenciones por perfil racial en vecindarios del sur de El Bronx, residentes solicitarán al nuevo alcalde Bill de Blasio mayor vigilancia a las prácticas…
New York Times: A Marijuana Stash That Carried Little Risk
LAST year, the Bronx Defenders, which represents poor people in criminal court, tried to have suppression hearings in 54 cases involving marijuana possession. In such hearings, the police officer would have been required to testify about the circumstances under which the marijuana was found. If it was the result of an illegal search, the judge…
Latin Times: NYC Unveils Pilot Program To Give Legal Defense To Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation
Like the other 13 detainees set to appear before an immigration judge on Wednesday afternoon, Maximiliano Ortiz had been roused in the wee hours of the morning from his cell in a county jail. Facing the judge at the Varick Street Immigration Court in Lower Manhattan, clothed in an orange jumpsuit, he looked groggy. “Are…
Press Release: Launch of First-in-the-Nation Public Defender System for New York’s Immigrant Families
New York, New York, November 7, 2013 — Now, for the first time in the United States, detained immigrants who cannot afford attorneys of their own will be provided with court-appointed deportation defense counsel through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP). Funded through the New York City Council, this first-in-the-nation pilot program, will…
New York Times: New Help for Poor Immigrants Who Are in Custody and Facing Deportation
The new initiative, called the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, emerged from several years of study and lobbying among immigration lawyers and immigrants’ advocates. They were concerned that the absence of competent legal representation for many of New York’s immigrant detainees was resulting in unnecessary deportations that ruptured families and put an undue financial…
NY Daily News: ‘Bronx Freedom Fund’ Pays Bail So Poor Misdemeanor Defendants Can Avoid Jail Time
Bronx residents who can’t make their bail now have a financial backer who can help them avoid jail time. The Bronx Freedom Fund has already helped five cash-strapped defendants charged with misdemeanor crimes avoid pretrial detention since it launched last week. Clients, many of whom have no prior arrests and face minor drug charges, are…
Bail or Jail: Watch Justine Olderman discuss the need for bail reform
Richard French speaks with the Chief Judge of New York State, Jonathan Lippman and with Justine Olderman of The Bronx Defenders about the current state of the jail and bail system in New York State. Justine Olderman: “We can say, ideally, it is about the presumption of innocence; it’s about the right to trial; it’s…
Justine Olderman responds to NY Post article on Bronx bail data
In an August 9, 2013 New York Post article headlined “Easiest Walk for Bx ‘High Risk’ Defendants,” the Mayor’s office takes a position that is in contravention of state law, ignores the facts about rates of return, and turns a blind eye to the growing movement for bail reform. After analyzing data showing that judges…
Huffington Post: 10 Things You Should Know About This Week’s Stop and Frisk Decision
U.S. Disctrict Court Judge Shira Scheindlin handed down two landmark opinions on Monday. In Floyd v. City of New York, a federal class action lawsuit challenging racial profiling by the NYPD, Judge Scheindlin ruled that the NYPD’s stop and frisk program violates the Constitution. A second order laying out remedies covers both Floyd and part…
The Bronx Defenders Organizing Project will be registering voters today!
Volunteer today with The Bronx Defenders Organizing Project to register voters. The deadline is this Friday to register to be able to vote in the NYC primaries on Sept. 10th. Join us to register as many Bronx residents as possible. If you’re interested and available, please join us! Email Kamaub@bronxdefenders.org or meet us at 3pm at…
MSNBC: Rethinking the ‘war on drugs’
Monday saw two major legal developments in the so-called “war on drugs.” First, a judge in New York City ruled that the police department’s stop-and-frisk policy violated the Constitution in targeting a disproportionate number of blacks and Hispanics. Then, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the end of mandatory federal prison sentences for low-level, non-violent drug…
The Bronx Defenders hails today’s ‘Stop and Frisk’ decision by federal Judge Scheindlin
The Bronx Defenders hails today’s decision by federal Judge Scheindlin as a critical first step in recognizing and tackling the widespread abuses in the NYPD’s stop and frisk program. In landmark decisions in two class action lawsuits, a federal judge ruled today that the New York City Police Department has violated the constitutional rights of…
Robin Steinberg Responds to New York Times Article “Bronx Courts Trim Big Backlog, With Outside Judge at the Helm”
In his July 29, 2013 article, Ray Rivera suggests that Justice DiMango’s “blockbuster part” has provided meaningful relief for the backlog of cases in the Bronx criminal courts. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the judge’s efforts may have closed a handful of cases, focusing on felony trials alone misses the larger and…
Karen Smolar taught at the July session of the NDCC’s Trial Practice Institute
Karen Smolar, Trial Chief of The Bronx Defenders, taught as a faculty member at the National Criminal Defense College, Trial Practice Institute, in the July 2013 session. This session, which took place in Macon, Georgia, was limited to just 96 participants. Topics covered in the institute included client interviews, jury selection, direct and cross examination,…
MUNCHED, A Disturbingly Hilarious Play – June 27th, 2013
The Bronx Defenders invites you to a very special community event in celebration of National Reunification Month, honoring families who have been involved in the child welfare system. There will be a stage! A piano! And Patricia R. Floyd from Law & Order. We encourage you to attend and bring friends, family and colleagues. We…
Annual Celebration of Families – June 21, 2013
Annual Celebration of Families is an event to celebrate families who have recently reunified or are about to be reunified. Families enjoy a meal together, play games, celebrate their successes, and go home with a framed family portrait. What we thought would be a little party turned out to be an incredibly powerful moment for…