prosecutor Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Pappalardo & Pappalardo LLP

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...

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...

When a Witness is Unavailable to Testify in a Criminal Trial

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In criminal prosecutions, there can be a lot at stake. For some defendants, they are facing years in prison – perhaps even the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, they may...

The Grand Jury and Its Role in the NY Criminal Legal System

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. The term petit jury refers to the jurors who determine a defendant’s guilt or innocence. In contrast, a grand jury is a larger group of jurors that determine whether there...

Proffer in a Criminal Prosecution: A Negotiation Tactic

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. In the criminal legal world, the word proffer takes on a special meaning. It refers to a meeting between the defendant, his attorneys, and the prosecution. During this sess...

The Trial Penalty: Why Criminal Defendants Often Take a Plea Bargain

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. Most criminal cases in today’s legal system are resolved by the defendant entering a guilty plea rather than by trial. Why? Because if a defendant goes to trial and is foun...

Repeal of Section 50-a: Disclosure of Police Disciplinary Records

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. On Friday, June 12, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation repealing a law which prevented the disclosure of law enforcement disciplinary records to the public....

New York’s Governor Signs Bill Creating Nation’s First Commission to Investigate Prosecutorial Misconduct

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. On August 21, 2018, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation establishing the State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct. The Commission will be the first of its...

New York Has a New Law Requiring Videotaping of Certain Interrogations

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. As of April 1, 2018, law enforcement in New York must now electronically record custodial interrogations with individuals accused of serious crimes. The law was passed with...

New York’s Chief Judge Calls on Courts to Order Prosecutors to Turn Over Information Favorable to Defense

By Jill K. Sanders, Esq. On November 7, 2017, New York’s Chief Judge Janet DiFiore directed all judges presiding over criminal matters to order prosecutors to turn over materially exculpatory evide...

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