Brian Lee

A key lawmaker said the New York Senate majority is not likely to trim discovery reform measures. The changes enacted in 2020 were aimed to ensure access to defendants of the evidence against them.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Marcelle ruled state cannabis regulators' and the New York City Sheriff's Office's warrantless raids on hemp license-holders is violative of the Fourth Amendment.

In her State of State address, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says defense attorneys have been incentivized to delay raising challenges to a prosecutor's compliance, so that they can have cases thrown out. The state's defense bar rejects these claims and urges the Legislature to leave the reforms undisturbed.

Timing and pushback led to the bill's demise in the 2024 legislative session. Now New York State Assemblymember Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, is urging her colleagues to take another look at the measure and is optimistic about her chances to succeed. Defense counsel are prepared to put up a fight.

The most plausible scenarios are a prolonged stalemate, a negotiated settlement or a decisive victory by one side or the other. Each of these outcomes would have very different consequences for Ukraine's sovereignty and the future of European security. And each would raise the challenge of how to manage the aftermath of the conflict. One of the most pressing concerns will be the risk of firearms being trafficked to the surrounding regions of the conflict zone. The main outcomes of a recent simulation of the possible endgames to the conflict are presented here.

Advocates say the constitutional cap—one Supreme Court seat for each 50,000 people—provides no flexibility to address emerging needs. While the bill is a top priority for the New York City Bar Association, the association representing Supreme Court justices has raised concerns over fairness and equity.

About a third of the New York Legislature supports a reintroduced bill asking Gov. Kathy Hochul to beef up the state loan forgiveness program for public-interest attorneys, public defenders, and district attorneys by $4 million in fiscal 2026. The likelihood of rollbacks to federal student-loan forgiveness prompted a joint letter from the bipartisan lawmakers to Hochul.

The Court of Appeals is set to hear arguments on Feb. 11 on a New York City home-rule law that would allow an estimated 800,000 non-U.S. citizens who possess green cards or work authorizations to vote in municipal elections.

Through a $1 billion settlement announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Yellowstone Capital agreed to wipe out more than $534 million in debt of its small-business clients. It resolves the attorney general's lawsuit alleging Yellowstone ran a large, predatory lending scheme. The settlement canceled debt of more than 1,100 small businesses in New York, and more than 18,000 nationwide.

Panelists weighed whether that lack of faith was elucidated by President Donald Trump's criticism of the Manhattan trial court justice who handled his criminal trial. But an ex-New York attorney general said prosecutors' "inexcusable" lack of discretion in deciding to raid Trump's home was partly to blame for the perceptions.