Right to Counsel Underfunded + Cannabis License Injunction
No. 335 | Monday, August 14, 2023
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
The Legal Aid Society accused the Adams Administration of gutting the City's new Right to Counsel program, meant to provide representation to tenants in housing court.
A lawsuit over which groups are entitled to early consideration for retail licenses to sell cannabis is preventing the issuing of any new such licenses.
Asylum seekers in New York City are falling prey to "employment agencies" charging illegal upfront payments for job placements that may never materialize.
Despite the recent slowing of migrant crossings over the US-Mexico border, the rate of asylum seekers arriving to New York City has continued its pace.
After the federal monitor overseeing the jails at Rikers Island called recent reform efforts "nothing more than facile window dressing," a judge signaled that the court may appoint a receiver who could impose changes on the facility without approval from the City's Correction Department.
Republicans in the State Legislature are suing to lift the cap on outside income for lawmakers.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brownsville) continues to defend his close relationship with AIPAC even as he faces accusations of giving cover to the increasingly authoritarian government in Israel, and as the organization announces its intention to fund primary challenges to his progressive colleagues in the House.
A judge blocked a plan to shift retired City workers onto private Medicare Advantage health care plans, the latest move in an ongoing clash between the City and retirees over a plan to save the City money on the plans.
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