We continue to create first-in-the-nation policies and programs that protect and improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers.

The landmark victory in the 1979 lawsuit Callahan v. Carey paved the way for further legal victories that ensured the Right to Shelter for homeless men, women, children, and families in New York City. Over the past four decades, the Civil Practice has worked closely with the Coalition for the Homeless to defend the Right to Shelter against numerous threats by City and State officials. Today, no other jurisdiction in the U.S. offers an expansive guarantee to all, and it is under attack as New York City faces a collision of multiple crises: rising rates of eviction, increasing rents, and thousands of migrants arriving from the southern border. The Civil Practice continues to fight the Adams administration’s attempts to roll back the consent decree, and other efforts that jeopardize the Right to Shelter, such as forcing migrants to reapply for shelter every 30 days, or the Mayor’s veto of the expansion of a city rental assistance subsidy program – which we successfully pushed the City Council to override.

The Civil Practice also announced this year a historic settlement with New York State that will expand coverage under Medicaid for medically-necessary dental care to five million people. Before the settlement, people with limited coverage for crowns and root canals often found themselves in poor oral health, unable to eat, and having difficulty holding jobs or maintaining relationships with friends and loved ones. By providing more stability in health coverage, New Yorkers now have the strongest Medicaid coverage in the nation, and we hope other jurisdictions throughout the country will be inspired to replicate the model.

The Legal Aid Society continued over the last year to combat the destabilizing effects of New York’s carceral system that take people away from their families, jobs, and communities.

We are closer to ending the humanitarian catastrophe that is Rikers Island, which continues to unravel with deteriorating infrastructure, improper medical treatment, and deaths. The U.S. Department of Justice agreed to pursue receivership of the jail, and the judge overseeing the Criminal Defense Practice’s lawsuit challenging brutality and excessive force in the City’s jails agreed to hear oral arguments on our motion for a federal takeover of Rikers. If the judge rules in our favor, that will help improve the safety of the current population at Rikers, and prevent these harmful correctional practices from migrating to the new, long-delayed borough-based jails slated to replace Rikers. 

We also fought a successful campaign that will clear an obstacle to employment for millions of New Yorkers through the legislature’s passage of the Clean Slate Act. The law will end the long-term consequences of criminal convictions by automatically sealing most records after certain requirements have been met. Over two million New Yorkers have limited access to employment, housing, education, and other resources because of their criminal records. With the signing of the bill into law, we are expanding opportunity and breaking the poverty cycle for those with criminal records. This year, we reached a historic settlement in a case challenging the NYPD’s long-standing practice of using excessive force during protests. The new guidelines, including a tiered response system, will help keep New Yorkers safe while protecting the right to free speech.

Across New York City we also fought to keep families together and children safe.

As the provider of direct representation to 90% of the children and young adults with cases in New York City’s Family Court, the Juvenile Rights Practice elevates the voices and enforces the rights of children. Its work consistently proves that, short of an imminent risk of harm, ensuring children remain with their families keeps them safer than separating them from their loved ones and communities. This was borne out by the pandemic, when fewer children were removed from their families and, according to data highlighted by the practice, there was no surge in abuse or neglect.

The Juvenile Rights Practice also strives to keep families together and block the State’s attempts to intervene in the lives of children through its litigation contesting New York State’s shadow foster care program. The “Host Homes” program places children with strangers without any legal representation or oversight, subjecting them to great risk of harm. The practice prevailed in an important step in the case this year, when a state appeals court ruled that we have standing to pursue our challenge to the program.

The Juvenile Rights Practice is also advocating for greater protection for New York’s young people in its zealous fight for the #Right2RemainSilent Act, which would require that young people be provided a consultation with an attorney before they are interrogated by police. If passed, the measure would join a host of legislative victories by the practice that ensures state laws factor in the developmental needs of the youngest and most vulnerable, and justly protect their interests.