Saturday, July 28, 2012

Legal links of interest: week ending July 28

A number of stories about the law and lawyers in the news this week:
The Daily Record: Addressing threats to an independent judiciary

Reason.com: How colleges suppress free speech

American Spectator: Federal court halts enforcement of the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate on religious freedom grounds

Democrat & Chronicle: Fewer DWI offenders foot bill for interlock device

New York Post: Connecticut prosecutor accused of sneaking naughty pics of female lawyers

Associated Press: Drug company McKesson to pay New York $36 million in settlement


Post Standard
: Syracuse law against bath salts still a 'work in progress'

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

New law to help low-income defendants make bail: charities may now post misdemeanor bonds

New York State enacted legislation today (July 18, 2012) that allows the creation of charitable organizations which could post up to $2,000 in bail for low-income defendants charged with misdemeanor crimes.

The law allows a new type of entity, charitable bail organizations, to function with fewer requirements but still under the oversight and regulation of the Department of Financial Services. Previously, organizations that posted bail on behalf of a defendant had to meet the state law requirements designed to regulate for-profit corporations engaged full-time in the bail bond business.

Charitable bond organizations will be required to register as a 501(c) (3) organization and may not charge a premium or fee for their services.

The law takes effect in 90 days.

More on the new law can be found here.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Ovid Attorney Steven Getman Requested to Draft Fracking Moratorium

Ovid Gazette:
[Ovid Town Supervisor] Prouty opened the floor for discussion of hydro-fracking....

Discussion moved to the topic of a moratorium amongst the town board members. To the surprise and praise of the remaining members of the audience, a motion was made and approved to ask the town attorney (Steven Getman) to prepare a draft document for presentation at the July meeting...

Content that the Town of Ovid board was researching the possibility of applying for a hydro-fracking moratorium while they continued to get their ducks in a row, the public left quietly with smiles on their faces. The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.

The next meeting of the Ovid Town Board will be July 11, 2012, at 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Governor Cuomo signs law approving Ovid-Lodi Court consolidation

Finger Lakes Daily News:
Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed off on a measure that will consolidate the Ovid and Lodi town courts after the first of the year. Following a study this spring ... each town approved doing away with separate judges and provide for the election of a single justice in November to a 4 year term. It's expected that judge would operate out of the Lodi Town Municipal building.

The Town of Ovid position has been vacant since the death of Town Justice Wayne Ewing in December.

More on the court consolidation process here