Onondaga County Bar Association Assigned Counsel Program, Inc.

06/18/2026

A New York state court system rule requiring criminal and family judges to visit at least one detention facility every year significantly expands a pre-existing rule.

A New York state court system rule requiring criminal and family judges to visit at least one detention facility every year significantly expands a pre-existing rule and may change sentencing and decision policies across the state, criminal defense attorneys and bar groups said.

06/17/2026

All judges in the state’s criminal and family courts responsible for sentencing people will be required to visit at least one jail, prison or detention facility a year, per new rules the state’s court system announced Monday.

New York is now the first state in the nation to mandate annual visits by all trial court judges who make sentencing or detention decisions. The visits will

06/17/2026

Lawyers for parents accused of abuse and neglect are suing the New York City court system over a proposed policy that had been scheduled to take effect June 22, allowing judges to order on-site, supervised drug tests in the family courts.

Lawyers for parents are suing over a proposed policy allowing judges to order on-site drug tests in NYC family courts.

06/10/2026

NYC illegally took newborn from father, keeping them apart for 3 years, court says

Attorneys for parents and children say the city’s child welfare agency has a pattern of unlawfully separating families. The city says it’s following proper protocols.

06/09/2026

ICE has dramatically increased detentions of children aged 3 and under, holding 25 of them in custody on an average day between January 2025 and March of this year, with a total of at least 500 in the last year.

Young children in detention stopped eating, began hitting themselves and became ill, according to parents.

06/04/2026

Tee It Up for a Good Cause:
Pat Hennessy Memorial Golf Tournament

Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Sunset Ridge Golf Club in Marcellus, NY. Register your team and find full details at https://pathennessymemorial.org

06/04/2026

If you or someone you love is coming home from incarceration, know this: Your time confined now counts toward supportive housing eligibility. Your clock does not reset.

Put plainly: Jail is not a home. It never was. Now, New York City’s eligibility rules finally reflect that.

06/02/2026

Pat Hennessy Memorial Golf Tournament Saturday August 8th. Register at https://pathennessymemorial.org/

06/01/2026

Immigration courts use ‘mega masters’ to speed deportations

The Justice Department is moving up the court hearings for hundreds of immigrants and scheduling them for mass hearings. If they don't show up, they could be ordered deported.

05/30/2026

Governor’s FY27 Enacted Budget Includes Commonsense Measures To Protect New Yorkers Against Aggressive Federal Immigration Enforcement

Governor Hochul met with immigration advocates, faith leaders, educators and New Yorkers impacted by aggressive federal immigration enforcement to highlight new protections included in her FY27 Enacted Budget.