Blizzard disrupts city’s criminal courts already seeing long delays
February 24, 2026
A major snowstorm forced NYC criminal courts to delay arraignments, worsening backlogs amid Legal Aid concerns over 24-hour holding limits.
A major snowstorm forced NYC criminal courts to delay arraignments, worsening backlogs amid Legal Aid concerns over 24-hour holding limits.
The closures apply to courts in the city and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and other counties, except for emergency applications.
Zhi Alan Cheng, a former Queens doctor who raped at least eight women, was sentenced to 24 years; victims say DA’s plea deal is too lenient.
The top judge in Queens’ Criminal Court laid out the successes and failures of the court in the last year a meeting on Tuesday.
Police had a suspect in custody Wednesday after he fired a volley of shots outside Kings County Criminal and Family courts.
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) has praised the recent state budget approval, which secures increased compensation for 18-B attorneys who represent children and
The Kings County Criminal Bar Association held its monthly Continuing Legal Education meeting on Jan. 25, where some of the borough’s top judges gave their
In a move that reinforces the judicial strength of Brooklyn, Mayor Eric Adams has made strategic appointments and reappointments to the Family Court, Criminal Court and Civil Court. Among these,
CITYWIDE — Mayor Eric Adams announced a total of 10 judicial appointments, including six to Family Court, three to Criminal Court and one interim appointment to Civil Court. The appointees
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Term, Second Department, made history with a bench comprising all women and with the appointment of Trinidadian-born Hon. Wavny Toussaint, the
While many attorneys were skeptical that it would happen, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore reported during her weekly address to the legal community that approximately 1,500 New Yorkers statewide showed up
This past Wednesday, the Housing Court was expected to resume eviction proceedings against people with open warrants that were issued prior to the pandemic. However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the
Shootings are up in New York City, and for the past few weeks Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea have tried to put the blame on the
The legal community immediately pushed back when Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea began scapegoating the court system for the recent rise in crime across New York
Two weeks ago, local public defender services from each of the five boroughs sued the NYS Office of Court Administration to stop it from resuming non-emergency and non-essential, in-person court
While crime is still a far cry from the levels of the 1990s, the city murder rate and incidences of shootings have both risen this year, and Mayor Bill de
Mayor Bill de Blasio is blaming the state court system for a major drop in arrests amid a citywide spike in violent crimes. During an appearance on CNN Thursday, de
New York state lawmakers have passed legislation to prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making courthouse arrests without a judicial warrant. The measure, known as the Protect Our Courts
When the court system shut down in the middle of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it essentially put lawyers who practice in the Housing Court out of work. The
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week that he has appointed four new judges to the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department to fill the court’s vacancies. The four judges include Hon.
Six public defender organizations sued the state Tuesday to stop in-person criminal court proceedings amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The complaint, filed in Manhattan Federal Court, claims the state Office
New York City celebrated its first day with no COVID-19 related deaths over the weekend, but as the number of cases across the country continues to set records, Chief Judge
A group of New York City public defender agencies have threatened to sue the state’s Office of Court Administration in a last-ditch effort to stop the resumption of in-person criminal
Before passing through the metal detectors at the entrance to New York City courthouses, visitors Monday encountered two new precautions: temperature checks and questionnaires designed to prevent the spread of
After a Brooklyn court officer was suspended for posting a racist meme of President Barack Obama on her Facebook account, a group of activists held a protest in front of
The New York City courts will resume in-person operations on Wednesday for the first time since they were closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore
On June 23, Brooklynites who live in Williamsburg and Greenpoint will have the opportunity to vote in the Democratic primary for Civil Court to decide between two candidates — Maria
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a stay-at-home order on March 20, 13 days after he declared a state of disaster emergency for the entire state, the court system came grinding
The first week of virtual courts in New York State was a success, according to Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, who gave an update on the court system on Monday following
The state court system has pivoted to video, mandating that all parties in New York City criminal court arraignments and Family Court proceedings — including the judges — appear by
A friend recently had the unfortunate experience of being a victim of a crime. The individual who stole the property was arrested and we are not sure what exactly happens at this point.
A criminal case usually starts with a persons arrest by the police. Aft …