Westchester New York Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Why Possessing a Fake ID Can Be a Serious Criminal Offense

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Sometimes, young people who are not yet 21 years old want to drink alcohol. Whether it’s sneaking a glass at a family function, or having beers with friends, this is illega...

“Significant Misdemeanors” and the Impact on DACA Status

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Immigration is a hot topic of political interest in the US. Several years ago, the US created a program which allows some who were brought to the US as children to stay in...

More Changes to New York’s Discovery Laws

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. As we discussed in our blog last week, New York's 2022-2023 budget included some criminal legal reforms. In addition to changes to bail, there have been some changes to law...

Bail Laws Revised in New York’s 2022-2023 Budget

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. It’s been all over the news – New York has changed its bail laws yet again. In addition to bail, there were also other new laws and other revisions. These were included as...

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. April marks Distracted Driving Awareness Month across the U.S. And in New York, law enforcement ran a targeted initiative over the past week. Indeed, the state pr...

Criminal Defendants Can File Section 1983 Lawsuits Without Proof of Actual Innocence

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. After his criminal case in Brooklyn was dismissed before trial, Larry Thompson filed a Section 1983 lawsuit. In that lawsuit, he claimed the NYPD had maliciously...

Child Neglect Proceedings Under Article 10 of NY’s Family Court Act

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Article 10 of New York’s Family Court Act deals with abuse and neglect of children. But such cases aren’t just for children who are subjected to physical punishment. In man...

Dropping Criminal Charges: What Crime Victims Face in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Most crimes are committed in the heat of the moment. In most cases, the perpetrators and the crime victims know each other. As with domestic violence cases, the parties may...

Establishing Paternity in New York’s Family Court

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In today’s world, it is common for people to have blended families. People have children from different relationships, whether they were married to the other parent or not....

Criminal Prosecution of Hate Crimes by the Federal Government

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutes federal hate crimes. This began after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. These crimes can intim...

Voir Dire: The Process of Selecting a Jury in New York

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In New York, lawyers can question prospective jurors to determine their qualification for service. This questioning process, called voir dire, is important to the criminal...

Virtual Court Appearances & the Right to Confrontation

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitutions states that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right… to be confronted with the witnesses against him....