Tag: coronavirus

New York Eviction Moratorium Extended to October 1

A directive by the New York State Chief Administrative Judge has effectively extended the moratorium on evictions against residential tenants to October 1. The order comes just before the moratorium was set to expire, which would have once again made it legal in New York to begin evicting non-playing tenants. Residential tenants, therefore, get to breathe a momentary sigh of relief as they do not need to worry about being eviction from their homes, at least for now. Continue reading “New York Eviction Moratorium Extended to October 1”

How Criminal Rights Have Been Affected by the Coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in most legal proceedings being suspended for its duration, and this is as true for the criminal courts as it is for everything else. Due to the coronavirus, most criminal court proceedings have been suspended, while others are now being conducted remotely through video conferencing and other telecommunications methods. This has had a dramatic impact on how criminal defendants can protect their rights during the pandemic. Continue reading “How Criminal Rights Have Been Affected by the Coronavirus”

Confusion Arises Over New York Eviction Moratorium

In late March, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a moratorium on evictions throughout New York State. While the move was welcomed by tenants who feared being evicted during the coronavirus pandemic, it didn’t stop cases for eviction from being filed in New York courts. This strange situation, where landlords can file to evict their tenants but can’t carry out the eviction, has caused confusion among landlords and tenants alike about what is permissible during the moratorium. Continue reading “Confusion Arises Over New York Eviction Moratorium”

NYC to Release 300 Nonviolent Offenders Due to Coronavirus Fears

Mayor Bill DeBlasio of New York City has said he will release approximately 300 inmates currently incarcerated at Rikers Island for nonviolent misdemeanor offenses, in response to the coronavirus. The coronavirus is at the forefront of everyone’s minds now, and this is particularly true of the prison system, where inmates and staff alike are at high risk of exposure to the contagion. However, it isn’t entirely clear how many of these inmates can legally be released, due to complications with state and federal law. Continue reading “NYC to Release 300 Nonviolent Offenders Due to Coronavirus Fears”

Criminal Penalties for Breaking Quarantine

In late March, President Trump publicly floated the idea of quarantining New York, as well as parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. While the quarantine was ultimately not implemented, with the White House instead issuing a travel advisory for those three states, it made some people fear what might happen if one or more states were, in fact, quarantined. For example, what happens to people who break an officially imposed quarantine? Continue reading “Criminal Penalties for Breaking Quarantine”