NY
with Garima Malhotra
introduction by Charles Ogletree
Lopez Torres v. NYS Board of Elections
U.S. Judge Overturns New York State Judicial Election Process in Brennan Center Lawsuit
Long Island Care at Home v. Coke
Brennan Center amicus brief asking U.S. Supreme Court to recognize minimum wage rights of home care workers
Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. State of New York
The Brennan Center’s amicus brief in this case argued that the inadequate representation provided by the New York State Legislature justified judicial intervention in the funding of the state’s public schools.
New Census Data will Help Correct Prison-based Gerrymandering
Last week the United State Census Bureau released a new data file giving states new opportunities to correct the decades-old problem of prison-based gerrymandering.
Prison-based gerrymandering occurs when the thousands of people incarcerated in state and federal prisons are counted by the Census as residents of the districts where they are incarcerated rather than residents of their home communities, where most inmates will return upon release.
New York Passes Two Landmark Democracy Reforms
This summer the New York legislature took decisive action to create two important policy reforms: requiring that people in prison be allocated to their home communities for redistricting purposes; and requiring criminal justice agencies to provide voting rights information to people who are again eligible to vote after a felony conviction.
New Yorkers: Take Action to Restore Voting Rights
The effort to restore voting rights in New York is gaining momentum. Today, over 100 New Yorkers sent postcards to their legislators and Governor Paterson urging them to restore the right to vote to people in New York who are on parole and probation.
Illustrations by Risko
New York State Board of Elections Violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
New York’s new electronic voting machines have the same problem that caused overvoting problems in Florida’s 2008 election, and, if not corrected, could disenfranchise 40,000 to 50,000 New York voters.
New York’s Felon Voting Bar has Deep Roots in Jim Crow
A new study of New York’s constitutional history traces the state’s current felony disenfranchisement law to a century-long effort to keep African-American citizens out of the voting booth.
Morgenthau Leads 62 Former Prosecutors in Call for Better Defense of the Indigent
62 former New York prosecutors joined an amicus brief in support of a suit, now pending before New York’s highest court, which alleges that New York State’s legal services for the poor are constitutionally inadequate.
New York State Senate Democratic Public Forum on Independent Redistricting Reform
Keesha Gaskins submitted written testimony for New York State Senate Democratic Public Forum on Independent Redistricting Reform.
Notice of Unprecleared Voting Change in New York City
The New York State Board of Elections has implemented procedures that deviate from New York law and previous practice in two ways: A: the notification that voters receive when a voter casts an invalid, overvoted ballot; and B: the manner in which the voting system handles that ballot. This letter outlines the details of these procedures and how they diverge from NY law.
Testimony Before the New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations
Testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations regarding Board of Elections oversight, specifically concerning New York’s new voting machines and Board voter registration and list maintenance practices.
Letter to Mayor Koch on New York Uprising Proposals
On April 28, 2010 the Brennan Center wrote a letter to Mayor Koch regarding New York Uprising’s proposal to promote non-partisan, independent redistricting in New York.
Erika Wood and Glenn Martin on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show
Erika Wood and Fortune Society’s Glenn Martin talk about Brennan Center’s new report, Jim Crow in New York.
A law enacted nearly 140 years ago—intended to disenfranchise African-Americans—is still in effect here today in New York.