Attorneys at The Legal Aid Society expressed strong approval for the move by the NY State Senate this week to protect the rights of New Yorkers detained by law enforcement, as reported by QNS.com.

The NYPD held hundreds of protesters for more than 24 hours without seeing a judge in the wake of last summer’s George Floyd protests, resulting in a lawsuit brought by Legal Aid which argued that the detentions were in breach of 1991’s Roundtree v. Brown decision, which established the 24-hour standard.

The bill passed on Wednesday was introduced last July by state Senator Michael Gianaris, who worked closely with Legal Aid to draft the legislation and strengthen habeas corpus protections.

“This legislation will codify the protections secured in the landmark Roundtree case, which set a 24-hour rule for pre-arraignment detention,” said Russell Novak, a staff attorney with the Special Litigation Unit of the Criminal Defense Practice. “The Legal Aid Society thanks Senator Michael Gianaris for sponsoring this important legislation to protect against abuses that disproportionately impact Black and Brown people.”