Reporting in The Markup reveals that New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has been using an algorithm to flag families for heightened scrutiny, without informing parents, attorneys, or even caseworkers. The tool, which weighs factors like neighborhood, mental health history, and number of children, raises serious concerns about racial and socioeconomic bias. Nila Natarajan, Associate Director of Policy & Family Defense, confirmed that this system has never been disclosed in discovery, stating: “We get discovery in individual investigations and prosecutions when we represent parents, and nothing in the discovery we get suggests or implies, and certainly doesn’t lay out, use of any of these tools.”

Brooklyn Defender Services, alongside lawmakers and other advocates, rallied in Albany to demand passage of the End Predatory Court Fees Act, which would eliminate mandatory surcharges, fees, and minimum fines that trap low-income New Yorkers in cycles of debt and incarceration. “As a public defender, I have seen firsthand how mandatory court fines and fees trap New Yorkers in a cycle of economic instability and further criminalization and incarceration” said Jackie Gosdigian, Supervising Policy Counsel in the Criminal Defense Practice.

Brooklyn Defenders joined a coalition of New York City public defender offices, immigrant and civil rights organizations, other advocacy groups, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to file a joint amicus brief in support of the New York City Council’s lawsuit challenging the Adams Administration’s Executive Order 50, which would allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to return to Rikers Island.

The Alliance to Protect Kalief’s Law, a statewide coalition of impacted New Yorkers, public defender offices, civil rights organizations, leading advocacy groups, clergy, labor, and many others, issued a statement on discovery rollbacks included in New York’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

Brooklyn Defenders issued a statement urging all stakeholders be included in discovery negotiations: “For decades, New York’s previous discovery statute was commonly known as the ‘Blindfold Law,’ as it allowed law enforcement to withhold evidence until the eve of trial, effectively ‘blindfolding’ people accused of crimes and their attorneys."

"The 2nd Department's recent decision, People v. Coley, is based on a due diligence standard, which is an objective way for courts to ensure that prosecutors are doing their jobs," said Yung-Mi Lee, the Director of Law and Appeals at Brooklyn Defender Services’ Criminal Defense Practice. “There is no flaw or loophole in the law that allowed for this dismissal. This case was not dismissed based on a ‘technicality.’”

Brooklyn Defenders issued a statement in response to the introduction of Senator Cordell Cleare’s legislation that will ensure compliance with the intent of New York’s discovery laws by codifying the Court of Appeals ruling, People v. Bay.

Yesterday, the Mayor’s Office signed an executive order that would authorize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and other federal law enforcement agencies to establish an office on Rikers Island. Brooklyn Defenders issued a statement in response.