One-fifth of Queens residents in NY prisons are 55 or older, data shows

One-fifth of Queens residents in NY prisons are 55 or older, data shows

Nearly a fifth of all Queens residents behind bars in New York are 55 years or older – and despite being convicted at a far younger age, have few opportunities to advocate for their release, according to new data shared with the Eagle.

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Legislature shoots down congressional maps in favor of their own

Legislature shoots down congressional maps in favor of their own

Democrats in the state legislature voted on Monday to toss out congressional redistricting lines drawn by a bipartisan commission, choosing to draw and propose their own maps – which have little impact on district boundaries in Queens.

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Calls roll in for Juan Ardila to resign following sexual assault allegations

Calls roll in for Juan Ardila to resign following sexual assault allegations

A growing number of elected officials are calling on freshman Democratic Assemblymember Juan Ardila to resign after two women accused him of sexual assault during a 2015 party shortly after he graduated from college.

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Senate rejects gov’s chief judge pick

Senate rejects gov’s chief judge pick

The State Senate rejected Governor Kathy Hochul’s nominee for chief judge of the Court of Appeals in a surprise vote on Wednesday, putting an end to a constitutional standoff between the Democratic governor and Democratic majority in the legislature and marking the first time in New York State history a chief judge nominee has been rejected.

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Lawmakers look to close lobbying loophole after money floods LaSalle fight

Lawmakers look to close lobbying loophole after money floods LaSalle fight

Several weeks after the Eagle first reported on an opaque lobbying group’s campaign in support of the governor’s controversial chief judge nominee, two lawmakers announced that they are introducing legislation that would require lobbying efforts around judicial nominations to be reported to the state.

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Hochul praises LaSalle as opposition continues to grow

Hochul praises LaSalle as opposition continues to grow

Governor Kathy Hochul stood by her controversial pick for chief judge, Hector LaSalle, on Friday as doubts continued to be cast on his ability to be confirmed by a State Senate growing increasingly displeased with his nomination.

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Lawmakers call for ‘diverse’ pool of chief judge candidates

Lawmakers call for ‘diverse’ pool of chief judge candidates

The call for the Commission on Judicial Nomination to diversify the group of candidates for chief judge it will soon recommend to Gov. Kathy Hochul intensified after a group of nearly two dozen State Senators wrote to the commission this week.

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