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June 19, 2015 Prachi Gupta

There seems to be a lot confusion over the new bill regarding subway sexual abuse. Forcible touching was already a misdemeanor crime in the state of New York under Section 130.52 of the penal law. The new statute, which was sponsored by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Queens) and passed by the state legislature on Thursday, amends […]

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June 16, 2015 Liam Mathews

A group of urban artists is suing Jerry Wolkoff, the owner and developer of the lot in Queens that was once 5Pointz and is now a construction site where two apartment towers are being built, for whitewashing their work without giving them enough time to retrieve it, the Daily News reports. The artists are claiming […]

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April 8, 2015 Prachi Gupta

A groundbreaking bill that would provide low-income tenants facing eviction with legal counsel is stalling, CityLimits reports. Similar to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, which guaranteed defendants a right to an attorney in criminal cases, the Right to Counsel bill would give tenants tied up in housing court universal […]

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March 20, 2015 Prachi Gupta

A New York Supreme Court judge has ruled against releasing evidence from the highly publicized case in which a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of unarmed black man Eric Garner. The decision was met with public outcry and nationwide protests, and several organizations including the NYCLU and […]

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January 9, 2015 Prachi Gupta

Among the numerous applications of virtual reality is the possibility that it could be used to better inform jurors during criminal investigations. New Scientists reports on research by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Zurich, Switzerland with that goal in mind, citing a current problem with the way 3D technology is used in the courtroom: […]

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January 6, 2015 Prachi Gupta

While the city embraces more nuanced messaging for a new public health campaign around HIV, New York’s highest court is considering whether or not it is a crime for individuals with HIV to not disclose their status before engaging in unprotected sex. NBC reports that New York’s Court of Appeals is reviewing the rulings of […]

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January 2, 2015 Rhett Jones

While a masculine voice is often believed to contain authority and is proven to be desirable in leaders, it may not be the best characteristic for a lawyer. A research team has conducted a recent study of lawyers voices and it has concluded that an attorney who is perceived to have a very masculine voice is less likely […]

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December 10, 2014 Rhett Jones

Sex workers and lovers of fun are combining forces to protest the UK’s egregious new pornography laws. Calling the planned demonstration #PornProtest, organizers say the event will climax with a mass face-sit-in where: demonstrators will simulate sex acts with each other and sing along to Monty Python’s ‘Sit On My Face.’ The new laws ban strangulation, whipping and […]

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August 22, 2014 Marina Galperina

On Thursday, the City Council passed a bill requiring Rikers Island officials to issue quarterly reports on inmates in solitary confinement. The bill follows public revelations of chronic abuse and misconduct, including this month’s 79-page report from the United States Attorney’s Office in Manhattan which describes the correctional officers’ disturbing culture of violence, often targeting juvenile inmates.  CBS New York reports: Under the […]

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August 20, 2014 Sophie Weiner

Delaware Governor Jack Marshall has signed the “Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets and Digital Accounts Act,” guaranteeing access for heirs and executors to digital assets like social media profiles and data on mobile devices. The act originated with the Uniform Law Commission, and now Delaware has become the first state to make it law. Though tech giants […]

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