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Brooklyn Defenders issued the following statement in response to proposed changes to New York’s discovery statute released today in Governor Hochul’s State of the State.

Brooklyn Defenders joins exonerees, impacted New Yorkers, public defenders, advocates, and concerned citizens in launching the “Alliance to Protect Kalief’s Law”, a statewide coalition dedicated to preserving New York’s common-sense and successful discovery statute, also known as “Kalief’s Law.” Today’s announcement comes in response to comments made by elected officials and district attorneys on efforts this session to roll back the current statute.

Brooklyn Defenders issued a statement in response to the introduction of bill that would provide district attorney’s offices access to the electronic record systems of police departments to improve efficiency of the discovery process.

Jacqueline Gosdigian, Supervising Policy Counsel testified before The New York City Council Committee on Public Safety Oversight Hearing on the NYPD’s Use of Stop-and-Frisk and Other Investigative Encounters.

Brooklyn Defender Services Pro Bono unit is celebrating a wonderful year of successful and impactful pro bono partnerships. In 2024, we partnered with 22 firms and were able to leverage resources and expertise back to our clients to secure the best possible case outcomes. We are extraordinarily grateful to all our partners and are excited to share some highlights from Fall and Winter!

Nila Natarajan Associate Director, Policy & Family Defense, in the Family Defense Practice testified before the NYC Council Committee on Children & Youth, calling for reforms to the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) to reduce harm caused by family policing practices. The testimony highlighted how poverty, not neglect, drives most ACS investigations and urged the City to invest in community-based resources that support families without surveillance or coercion.

The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders, represented by pro bono counsel Selendy Gay PLLC, filed an amicus brief in support of the New York City Council and Public Advocate's lawsuit to invalidate Mayor Eric Adams’ emergency executive orders that suspended parts of Local Law 42 of 2024, which bans solitary confinement in city jails.

The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and Milbank LLP filed a reply brief in its class action lawsuit against the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) concerning DOC’s failure to provide incarcerated New Yorkers access to medical care. The filing responds to DOC’s opposition brief and urges the court to find DOC in contempt, citing overwhelming evidence that DOC has failed to bring people to hundreds of thousands of medical appointments and regularly blocks incarcerated New Yorkers’ access to sick call.

Public interest attorneys in New York are urging Governor Hochul to allocate an additional $4 million to the state's loan forgiveness program in anticipation of potential federal cutbacks in 2025. This funding is crucial to ensure that legal services for low-income communities remain robust and effective.

We just released a report analyzing newly obtained performance data of the NYPD’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology. Our analysis confirms what we’ve long suspected - Shotspotter fails to make our communities safer, at the expense of increased surveillance and policing of Black and Latine neighborhoods and tens of millions of dollars.