“There’s no way justice is going to be served at sentencing because the only justice is for him to be granted a new trial.” Karen Smolar, BxD’s Trial Chief speaks with The New York Daily News about her client Gregory (Grego) Ferguson, who will finally be sentenced after almost 7 years on Rikers Island. Read…
“The end of DACA and TPS violates the trust that about one million people placed in our Government and principles of fundamental fairness. TPS and DACA holders have lived, many of them with legal authorization, in our country for decades, some of them since they were months old. They have opened businesses, paid taxes, formed…
“I’m 74. I want to live in peace in my place.” Aida Reyes is a client of The Bronx Defenders who is being threatened with eviction by NYCHA. Ms. Reyes moved in with her mother in 2011 to take care of her and after she passed away, Aida was told by NYCHA she needed to…
“Children harmed by their parents should of course be protected. But any proposed approach to the opioid crisis that defaults to sending children to foster care once the specter of drug use is raised, and that excludes their parents, is deeply flawed.” Emma Ketteringham, Managing Director of BxD’s Family Defense Practice, responds to an editorial…
The New York Law Journal covers The Bronx Defenders’ exciting announcement that Justine Olderman, an experienced attorney with 17 years at the organization and a leader in the field of public defense, has been selected to take the helm as our Executive Director. “From staff attorney to managing director, I have been privileged to work…
New York, NY — On January 3, 2017, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo delivered the annual State of the State address in Albany and unveiled a package of criminal justice reform proposals. Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, responded: “The Governor’s package of criminal justice proposals represents an important acknowledgement that we cannot have…
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Bronx Defenders announced today that Justine Olderman, an experienced attorney with 17 years at the organization, was selected to take the helm from Robin Steinberg as Executive Director. Olderman is leader in the field of public defense who has held various positions at The Bronx Defenders, including her most recent…
The Bronx Defenders joined fellow New York City public defenders to release a statement urging the New York City Council to withdraw or vote against Intro 182, which undermines the necessary police transparency and accountability at the core of the Right to Know Act. It read: “As Chief Public Defenders, we are grateful for the…
“The questions confronting the Committee and Council are simple: Should civilians be informed of their right to privacy when there is no legal basis to search them? And should civilians who have routine interactions with the police, whether pulled over while driving or questioned as victims or witnesses, be entitled to know who they are…
Scott Levy, Special Counsel to the Criminal Defense Practice and Sarah Deri Oshiro, Managing Director of the Immigration Practice sit down and speak with BronxTalk. Scott Levy discusses how to bring meaningful change to New York’s bail system: “The issue is that our bail statute is not used properly right now…If we started actually using…
Defenders’ Academy: Spring Training is a six-day intensive trial skills program for all defenders (criminal, civil and family) hosted at CUNY Law School. Students participate in small group sessions where they receive expert coaching and individual video review. Impeachment, foundation and objection skills are reinforced with drills. Our program challenges litigators to conceptualize classic trial…
Powerful HuffPost op-ed by Luis Mancheno, an immigration defense attorney at The Bronx Defenders about ICE’s intrusive presence in the courts depriving people access to due process: “ICE needs to be stopped and it needs to be stopped today…It is imperative that Chief Judge Janet DiFiore takes all the necessary steps to stop federal immigration…
The Bronx Defenders joins New York City’s public defense organizations in calling on the Office of Court Administration and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to issue rules that would limit federal immigration enforcement’s ability to arrest our clients in or around courthouses. Read the story here.
On December 4, 2017, Alice Fontier, Managing Director of The Bronx Defenders’ Criminal Defense Practice presented written and oral testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services at the Hearing on Progress in Closing Rikers Island. In her testimony, Alice highlighted the Administration’s misguided focus on technocratic fixes to…
On November 15, 2017, The Bronx Defenders joined over 100 community groups and advocacy organizations in sending a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo calling for meaningful and effective bail reform. Governor Cuomo has made clear his interest in bringing change to New York State’s pretrial detention system but has yet to take action. Advocates urge…
Erin Cloud, the supervising attorney for our Family Defense Practice, and Dinah Adames-Ortiz, our parent advocate, talk about how poverty is an incriminating factor against parents just trying to raise their children. “Every aspect of poor families’ lives is subject to supervision. Shelters have mandated reporters. HRA workers are mandated reporters. Public hospitals report overwhelmingly…
Luis Mancheno, an immigration defense attorney at The Bronx Defenders speaks with NY1 Noticias’ Pura Política about the harmful impacts of ending Temporary Protected Status for Nicaraguans and Hondurans as well as the Diversity Visa Lottery. To watch the interview, click here.
In this investigation, Vox highlights the profound impact the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) has on preventing immigrants facing deportation from being separated from their families and community. The Bronx Defenders proudly serves as one of three institutional providers of free representation to detained immigrants in removal proceedings at the Varick Street Immigration…
“The fact is that there are people dealing with these kinds of medical crises who simply should not be in jail, but rather be receiving meaningful treatment.” Anisha Gupta, criminal defense attorney at The Bronx Defenders speaks with Reuven Blau at The Daily News about the death of her client Selmin Feratovic, who during his…
On October 24, 2017, Runa Rajagopal, Managing Director of The Bronx Defenders’ Civil Action Practice, presented written and oral testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Public Housing jointly with the Committee on Aging Oversight Hearing regarding the permanent addition of family members to a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) household and…
“The lies officers tell to justify the unlawful stops, searches and questioning are a natural byproduct of this policing strategy. Once we see the root of the problem, the answer becomes obvious: The NYPD leadership needs to stop holding on to the myth that ‘broken windows’ policing is necessary to keep New York City safe…
“If there are racial disparities in pleas in misdemeanor cases that lead to worse punishment of black people, it means a significant proportion of our criminal justice system is meting out punishment in a racially-biased manner.” —BxD’s Jenn Rolnick Borchetta and Alice Fontier on the stark racial disparities in plea bargaining that have devastating impacts…
Powerful op-ed by BxD’s Anisha Gupta for The Marshall Project on the death of her client Selmin Feratovic, who had been incarcerated for almost seven months on Rikers Island but had not been convicted of a single crime: “Selmin was killed by a system that overcharged him, incarcerated him, ignored him, and ultimately failed to protect…
Courthouse News reports on the latest in BxD’s lawsuit challenging lack of transparency around NYPD property seizures and civil forfeitures. To read the full story, click here. To learn more about this litigation, visit our case page.
BxD’s Wesley Caines sits down with David Lesch of BronxNet TV’s “Today’s Verdict” to discuss New York’s new sealing law and our reentry work. Our comprehensive reentry legal services include reviews of criminal records, correction of criminal record errors, and collaboration with clients to obtain documentation (such as Certificates of Good Conduct) that can help reduce…