March 15, 2010 · www.gothamgazette.com

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Merged Bronx Court
Five years after the merger of the Bronx County Criminal Court and the Bronx County Supreme Court’s criminal term, a report from the state Unified Court System found the merger has led to more efficient adjudication of misdemeanor cases, but the number of felony trials has fallen while a backlog grew. As a result, the court will establish special parts to address the oldest felonies and misdemeanors, among other measures. (November 9, 2009)

Claims Against City Up
A new report from New York City Comptroller William Thompson found the city paid $567.9 million in settlements and judgments for personal injury, property damage and law claims in fiscal year 2008. During fiscal year 2007, according to the report, the city paid $558.3 million. In fiscal year 2008, the city had 26,798 new claims -- the second highest number since 1999. The Department of Transportation and the Police Department had the highest number of claims against them. (March 17, 2009)

Wrongful Convictions
Incorrect identification, errors by a prosecutor, law enforcement personnel or judge, and mistakes in handling evidence were the leading causes of wrongful convictions in New York State, according to a recent report by a New York State Bar Association task force. The panel, which examined 53 cases, said the convictions generally resulted from several factors and called for a number of changes to prevent such errors in the future. (February 24, 2009)

Reforming the State's Drug Laws
The state must reform its drug laws, according to a new report by the Sentencing Commission, which was appointed by former governor Eliot Spitzer nearly two years ago. For successful reform, the commission calls for community-based drug treatment, providing statewide access to substance abuse treatment programs, alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, and a uniform statewide drug diversion model. (February 5, 2009)

New York's Juvenile Justice System
This report comes from the Vera Institute and assesses the juvenile justice system statewide from '04 through '06: The number of juvenile delinquency cases referred to court remained unchanged at 66 percent; Juvenile delinquents placed in state or county custody decreased by 8 percent; Black youth account for 60 percent of those placed in custody but only account for 19 percent of youth in state; Court petitions for juveniles in the justice system for non-criminal behavior - such as truancy, incorrigibility, or running away - dropped 41 percent; The state's Division of Criminal Justice Services raised concerns about the reliability of juvenile arrest data for the period covered, so the report does not include it. (January 22, 2009)

NYC Documents at Columbia University
This site links to scores of City related sites and guides users through Columbia's substantial collection of NYC-related materials by category.
A Brief History Of Election Law In New York
A timeline of voting and elections in New York.
Legal Aid Society
The largest public defender in the country, providing legal services to children and homeless. The cause is noble, the site useful but dull.
Judicial Reports
This online magazine was established in March 2006 by the Institute for Judicial Studies to cover developments in the judiciary in New York State and on the federal level. It has a blog of up to date legal news, and weekly articles that go into more depth.
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Site of the City Bar, organization highlighting its recently issued reports. Now playing: the full text of a report on the City's enormous tort case backlog (more than 62,000 cases) by the Council on Judicial Administration. They critique City efforts in addressing the problem against formidable odds. The site also includes an impressive list of pro bono opportunities for lawyers and law students.

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