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Here’s What the Budget Would Do About Bail

Budget legislation released Monday night includes eight pages of bail law markups — significantly more than the governor announced last week. A vote is imminent.

Chris Gelardi   ·   May 2, 2023
Updates: New York ‘Conceptually’ Has a Budget

Kathy Hochul and the legislators are closing in on a final state budget. As they settle their differences, we’ll keep you up to date on the latest.

New York Focus   ·   April 25, 2023
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz speaks at a holiday celebration in Queens on December 19, 2021.
Queens DA to Pursue NYPD-Enforced Curfew for Pretrial Defendants

Police will receive photos of defendants with curfews and report alleged violations to District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Chris Gelardi   ·   April 24, 2023
A New Liberal Era for New York’s Highest Court?

The confirmations of Rowan Wilson and Caitlin Halligan may reverse the Court of Appeals’ rightward trend.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 19, 2023
The State Assembly Is Foreclosing Hochul’s Housing Supply Plan

Democratic Assembly leaders refused to entertain the governor’s primary tactic to achieve housing growth and affordability.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 18, 2023
Why You’re Still Paying for Someone Else’s Gas Line

New York law requires utilities to build out gas infrastructure at customers’ expense. The Senate wants to close the spigot.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 18, 2023
Hochul’s Top Court Pick Represented Chevron in Climate Case Against Steven Donziger

Private attorney Caitlin Halligan helped let Chevron off the hook for billions of dollars it owed Ecuadorians over the company’s pollution of the Amazon.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 17, 2023
Inflation Is Putting Food Out of Reach in New York Prisons

The confluence of rising commissary prices, stagnant wages, and a package ban are making basic items inaccessible.

Freddy Medina   ·   April 11, 2023
Hochul Nominates Liberal Rowan Wilson for Chief Judge

As the governor negotiates the state budget with a legislature that rejected her last chief judge pick, she has selected a sitting liberal to lead the Court of Appeals.

Sam Mellins   ·   April 10, 2023
New York City Pensions to Divest Future Private Equity Holdings From Fossil Fuels

Comptroller Brad Lander is scrutinizing the climate impacts of private equity investments — an area his counterpart in Albany has yet to address.

Lilah Burke   ·   April 6, 2023
Hochul Throws Climate ‘Grenade’ Into Budget Talks

Last-minute legislation would transform New York’s climate law, allowing significantly higher emissions over the next decade.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   April 4, 2023
Inside the Fossil Fuel Industry’s ‘Existential’ Battle Against New York’s Climate Plan

Deceptive Facebook ads, hundreds of thousands of mailers to customers, six-figure lobbying campaigns — here’s how fossil fuel companies are fighting to keep electrification at bay.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 27, 2023
New Chief Judge Shortlist Features Previously Excluded Liberal Judges

Hochul has a month to nominate one of the seven candidates to be New York’s next chief judge, after the state Senate rejected her first pick last month.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 24, 2023
Why Does Rikers Island Still Lock People in Shower Stalls?

So-called “de-escalation units” were supposed to help people cool off after violent encounters. But months after their implementation, Rikers staff still use the old brutal methods.

Chris Gelardi   ·   March 22, 2023
The New Belmont Park Could Become the Country’s Deadliest Track for Horses

Dozens of horses die at the Long Island track each year. Governor Hochul — and now the state legislature — want to give it a state-funded renovation.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 14, 2023
Fossil Fuel Companies Enlist Customers to Fight New York’s Climate Law

National Fuel urged customers to oppose a gas appliance ban. It’s just one strategy in the fossil fuel industry’s mounting offensive against climate action.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 7, 2023
Can Half a Billion Dollars Save New York Horse Racing? We Spoke With the Man Who Says Yes.

A conversation with consultant Shuprotim Bhaumik, whose firm wrote a study arguing that New York state can revitalize the failing horse racing industry by funding a $455 million track renovation.

Sam Mellins   ·   March 1, 2023
Meet the Top Private Earners Among New York Lawmakers

A handful of state legislators made far more from second jobs than they did representing their constituents, a New York Focus analysis found. Find your rep in our database.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   March 1, 2023
Hochul Calls for Rail Safety Regulations — After Vetoing Keystone Rail Safety Bill

In December, the governor vetoed legislation requiring freight trains to be staffed with at least two crew members. Rail workers say it’s a bare minimum for safety.

Julia Rock   ·   February 28, 2023
Hochul’s Budget Pads Prosecution Funding Without Match for Public Defense

The governor proposed an outsized boost worth tens of millions for prosecutors — drawing comparisons to New York’s history of public defense neglect.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 27, 2023
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