Category: Civil Rights Highlights

Dozens of Statewide Groups Call on Gov. Cuomo to Sign Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act

Legislation Would End Widespread Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Traffic Debt Today, over 50 groups from across New York State sent a letter to Gov. Cuomo urging him to sign the Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act, which the…

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Lawsuit Challenges the New York State Department of Health’s Ventilator Allocation Guidelines

No one should have to worry about their life-sustaining medical equipment being taken from them in a pandemic. Disability Rights New York (DRNY) & NCLEJ filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Not Dead Yet, NMD United,…

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Federal Court Certifies Class Action Lawsuit Challenging Due Process Violations by the MTA

Last week, a federal judge certified a class action charging the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) with systemic due process violations. The lawsuit challenges the Transit Authority’s unlawful seizures of New Yorkers’ state tax refunds to collect on default…

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NCLEJ Joins Buffalo Community in Call for Police Accountability and Upholding the Repeal of 50-A

NCLEJ, in partnership with the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit brought by the Buffalo, New York police and firefighter unions that seeks…

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Big Wins in Montgomery Debtors’ Prison Case

Plaintiffs challenging debtors’ prison practices of the City of Montgomery and Judicial Correction Services (JCS), a private contractor that extracted payment of traffic fines and fees on behalf of the City, scored important wins in a July 7…

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NCLEJ Fights Peonage and Debtors’ Prisons in Montgomery, Alabama

NCLEJ represents seven Black residents of Montgomery, AL who filed a class action lawsuit against the City and Judicial Correction Services, Inc. (JCS) to challenge an unlawful peonage and debtor’s prison scheme. Under this system, the City forced…

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Claudia Wilner speaks on over-policing during pandemic

Director of Litigation Claudia Wilner was quoted in the New York Times and in The Cut on the danger posed to low-income and black communities by over-policing and jail for minor offenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the…

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Renewing the Fight Against Discriminatory Policing in Buffalo

On April 23rd, NCLEJ filed an amended complaint in Black Love Resists in the Rust v. City of Buffalo. Five additional plaintiffs joined our lawsuit against the City of Buffalo, New York challenging the Buffalo Police Department (BPD)’s systemic…

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NCLEJ Submits Public Comment Opposing HUD’S Proposed “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” Rule

On January 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) published a proposed rule that would change the way the agency upholds its obligation to affirmatively further fair housing for all who need it. The…

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NCLEJ Settles Lawsuit Against Florida State Medicaid Agencies for Unlawfully Terminating Healthcare Benefits for Eligible Individuals

On February 25, NCLEJ and its partners secured a settlement agreement with Florida’s state Medicaid agencies to ensure that eligible individuals, including many with disabilities, can keep accessing health care services without interruption. On August 8, 2019 NCLEJ…

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