City’s public defenders join national protest, call for more funding

City’s public defenders join national protest, call for more funding

The city’s largest criminal legal aid organizations joined a national protest on Thursday, warning the constitutional right to counsel is being “systematically dismantled” as public defenders across the country struggle to keep up with mounting cases.

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Former Queens Defender staffer pleads guilty to defrauding nonprofit

Former Queens Defender staffer pleads guilty to defrauding nonprofit

Rashad Ruhani pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Thursday, after admitting to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars that belonged to Queens Defenders, the legal nonprofit where he worked alongside Lori Zeno, his wife and the organization’s executive director.

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Advocates call on mayor to fully fund Right to Counsel

Advocates call on mayor to fully fund Right to Counsel

Outside Brooklyn Housing Court on Monday morning, tenant organizers and legal aid attorneys led a rally on the courthouse sidewalk in support of expanding the city’s Right to Counsel program, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Comptroller Mark Levine toured inside.

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Hip-hop journalist tied to Queens Defenders fraud case challenges FBI tactics

Hip-hop journalist tied to Queens Defenders fraud case challenges FBI tactics

Kimberly Osorio, the media personality who allegedly hid a cell phone for a Queens man accused of helping to steal $400,000 from legal nonprofit Queens Defenders, asked a judge to toss much of the evidence federal prosecutors plan to bring against her at trial.

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Department of Homeland Security sued for ‘illegal’ stops and arrests in New York

Department of Homeland Security sued for ‘illegal’ stops and arrests in New York

Federal immigration agents have conducted thousands of unconstitutional stops and arrests on New Yorkers over the last year, targeting people based solely on race and without any probable cause, a new class action lawsuit claims.

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Queens man acquitted of murder of police officer, convicted of manslaughter

Queens man acquitted of murder of police officer, convicted of manslaughter

After eight tense hours of jury deliberations, Guy Rivera was found not guilty for the murder of NYPD officer Johnathan Diller, but guilty for several lesser charges that will still likely put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

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Judge rejects attempt to dismiss case against Queens man shot by cop during mental health crisis

Judge rejects attempt to dismiss case against Queens man shot by cop during mental health crisis

A Queens judge this week refused to throw out charges against Jabez Chakraborty, a 23-year-old shot by police while in the throes of a mental health crisis in January, ruling that prosecutors did not violate his rights by indicting him while he was shackled to a hospital bed recovering from his gunshot wounds.

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State immigration legal services can’t keep up with demand, new report finds

State immigration legal services can’t keep up with demand, new report finds

Families racing to find legal documents while they’re detained, missing court appearances out of fear, getting deported to countries they have no ties to – immigrant New Yorkers regularly faced these situations this past year as legal aid services struggled to meet newfound demand, a new report shows.

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Queens students pitch constitutional amendments to borough’s judges

Queens students pitch constitutional amendments to borough’s judges

It was a long grueling day of legal debate for a group of around a dozen Queens high school students last week, as they were given the unique chance to introduce and defend their own constitutional amendments before actively sitting judges in Queens Supreme Court.

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