by Jeff Wice & Alexis Marking
N.Y. VOTING RIGHTS ACT LITIGATION
Erie County: Young v. Town of Cheektowaga
In March, one-time Town Board candidate Kenneth Young filed a lawsuit against the Town of Cheektowaga, alleging racially polarized voting and violations of the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA) in the Cheektowaga Town Board elections. Young claims that minority voters cannot elect candidates of their choice under the town’s current at-large voting method and … <Read More>
On October 9, 2024, Queens Public Library President Dennis M. Walcott and NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley celebrated the re-opening of the Laurelton Library. The library was closed to make necessary repairs. This $1.8 million project was completed under the budgeted amount, saving over $160,000. The one-story Laurelton Library is located at 134-26 225th Street and originally opened in 1955.
By Jeff Wice with Jordan Karpoff & Alexis Marking.
N.Y. VOTING RIGHTS ACT LITIGATION
Orange County: Clarke et al. v. Town of Newburgh
In January, three Black and three Hispanic residents of Newburgh filed this lawsuit, claiming the town’s at-large election system for Town Board elections has prevented Black and Hispanic residents from electing candidates of their choice, thus violating the N.Y. Voting Rights Act.
On October 10th, the … <Read More>
On October 9, 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the expansion of the lead service line replacement program. Through this free program, the City will cover the replacement of privately-owned water service lines, made of lead or galvanized steel, at eligible properties in the Bronx and Queens. Water service lines connect directly to the City’s water mains, and property owners are responsible for the maintenance of their property’s service lines, which are estimated … <Read More>
On September 26, 2024, Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on five federal charges including bribery, conspiracy, and campaign finance offenses. To better understand the context of the alleged campaign finance-related crimes, New York Law School’s Center for New York City and State Law offers the following Q-and-A between Ben Max, the Center’s executive editor, and Amy Loprest, a Senior Fellow at the Center and the former longtime Executive Director of the New York City Campaign … <Read More>
By Jeff Wice, Alexis Marking & Jordan Karpoff
REDISTRICTING
NYC Council Map Challenge Goes to State Court of Appeals
This lawsuit was filed against the New York City Districting Commission, the New York City Board of Elections, and the New York State Board of Elections challenging the New York City Council district map based on an alleged violation of the New York City Charter.
Plaintiffs include Desis Rising Up and … <Read More>