The New York State Bar Association has launched a Task Force on the Modernization of Criminal Practice to suggest new laws and policies to improve safety, fairness, access to justice and efficiency in the administration of criminal justice.
To ensure access to justice is a reality for all New Yorkers who may not be able to afford legal representation, Governor Kathy Hochul should use this decision as a baseline for increasing compensation statewide.
Neither the United States Supreme Court nor the New York Court of Appeals has ever ruled that deception of a suspect undergoing a custodial interrogation to which Miranda applies is permitted.
As the nation reels in the wake of the Texas and Buffalo mass shootings and urban centers across the country struggle to contain an epidemic of gun violence, the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered an ill-conceived decision that will set us back decades and further threaten public safety.
By refusing to raise compensation rates for 18-B lawyers and Attorneys for the Children, New York is putting those most in need of counsel at a disadvantage. This is not only unjust, but flies in the face of the fundamental assertion that all are equal under the law.
The New York State Bar Association’s Executive Committee voted today to support legislation that would automatically seal criminal records for most state residents.
Our leaders are sending a message that women and girls must be protected from violence, deserve programs to support recovery from abuse and have an absolute right to legal representation. We must never let such historic legislation lapse again.
As an association that values the rule of law, we applaud the courage of 12 ordinary citizens who removed any doubt that these men acted out of racial animus.