The Legal Aid Society filed a joint lawsuit with New York City’s other public defender organizations seeking to prevent the rushed, dangerous, and unilateral decision by the Office of Court Administration (OCA) to resume in-person, non-emergency appearances in New York City Criminal Court. The suit argued that OCA’s proposal violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by depriving thousands of people who have medical vulnerabilities or other disabilities the opportunity to seek and help develop necessary accommodations from the Court. The decision forced people to choose between their health and their liberty, because if they did not attend court, they could have a warrant issued and potentially be incarcerated.

On July 28, 2020, a federal judge denied our motion for a preliminary injunction and abstained from adjudicating the merits of our claims on federalism grounds.