Access to Justice

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Clerical Snags Stymie Name Changes For Trans New Yorkers

By Marco Poggio

Despite a 2021 state law streamlining the legal process for changing names and genders in New York courts, advocates say clerical staff has created new obstacles for transgender people seeking to affirm their identities, even in a relatively progressive jurisdiction such as Manhattan.

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'Remarkable' 5th Circ. Ruling May Help End Felon Voting Bans

By Jack Karp

After the Fifth Circuit recently labeled Mississippi's permanent disenfranchisement of felons an example of unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment, advocates say the ruling could further efforts to end the practice elsewhere around the country, but critics counter that it conflicts with precedent and the U.S. Constitution.

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Pro Bono Spotlight

Morgan Lewis Helps Former Afghan Official, Family Flee To US

By Alison Knezevich

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP attorneys worked for nearly two years to help a former Afghan government official and his family navigate the visa process and relocate to the United States.

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4 Questions For The ABA's Next Criminal Justice Chair

By Andrea Keckley

Tina Luongo, The Legal Aid Society of New York City's top criminal defender, is approaching their new position as chair of the American Bar Association's criminal justice section with an eye on issues like keeping prosecutors and public defenders in their jobs at a time of significant attrition.

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What A $1M Civil Rights Win Means For Police Accountability

By Andrea Keckley

After helping win a $1.1 million verdict last month for a Staten Island man who said he was falsely arrested by three New York police officers, counsel on the case said the victory showed a growing receptiveness by jurors to give serious consideration to misconduct allegations.

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Two Wrongfully Convicted Men Win $20.5M From Louisville

By Daniel Connolly

Two men who each spent about 22 years in prison for a murder but were later exonerated through DNA evidence will share a $20.5 million settlement from Louisville's government, attorneys for the men announced Friday.

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Major Settlement Aims To Change NYPD's Protest Response

By Marco Poggio

The New York Police Department on Tuesday has agreed to change its use of force policies in responding to protests as part of a settlement that will require it to use deescalation techniques and adopt a more nuanced approach to crowd control, according to papers filed in federal court.

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DOJ Hailed For Goal Of Helping Pretrial Inmates Access Attys

By Marco Poggio

The public defender community is praising new recommendations from the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at finding ways to improve the ability of criminal suspects in federal custody to communicate with attorneys and access materials related to their cases.

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Sentencing Commission Backs Retroactive Cuts For 1st Timers

By Stewart Bishop

A divided U.S. Sentencing Commission has voted to retroactively apply changes to sentencing guidelines that will allow potentially thousands of defendants who were sentenced as first-time offenders to petition courts for a reduction in their prison terms.

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Perspectives

A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

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Perspectives

People In Prison Should Have Access To Digital Technology

There are a number of reasons why people who are incarcerated should have access to digital communication technology — from facilitating reentry to saving lives in a future pandemic — but they need the means and the necessary legal protections to do so, say NYU Law student Suchy Kahlon and First Amendment attorney Dan Novack.

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Perspectives

Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

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