Legislation

Hate crimes are frequently talked about in the news. And in some cases, bias intent coupled with violence has led to serious injuries or even death. Such hate crimes are punished more harshly under fe...

In early 2019, Governor Cuomo signed legislation which extends the statute of limitations for bringing cases against those who commit sexual abuse against children. The changes allow some adults to se...

As of October 2012, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) began applying certain rules to persons with multiple convictions or incidents involving alcohol- or drugged-driving. As such, licen...

On May 30, 2019, Governor Cuomo signed into law a bill removing criminal sanctions for the possession of gravity knives. This bill brings the state’s laws into line with a recent federal court decisio...

“No Loitering” is a sign one often sees on private property. Anyone staying on private property can be charged with trespass or more serious crimes. However, loitering refers to remaining in a publ...

On May 14, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA). The law would, among other measures, give judges more discretion when sentencing surviv...

As discussed in last week's blog, the legislature recently passed sweeping bail and discovery reforms. There are also several other reforms taking place. Here, we discuss a few more of the changes to...

As discussed in our recent blog, the New York legislature was considering revisions to the state's discovery laws. Many of these reforms have passed, and effective January 1, 2020, the laws on bail an...

In New York, some persons who have committed sex offenses are considered too dangerous to live the community. This is even after they’ve served the prison sentence for their offense. These individuals...

Many people assert they would never admit to something they hadn’t done. And they believe that anyone who confesses to a crime must be guilty. The reality of false confessions, however, is much more c...

New York is often considered one of the most liberal states in the United States. Yet in 2019, it still has laws prohibiting the possession of marijuana. New York's governor has proposed changes to th...