Syracuse.com: NY Violating Constitutional Rights Of Poor People By Refusing Lawyers A Raise For 2 Decades, Lawsuit Says
December 27, 2022
In “NY Violating Constitutional Rights Of Poor People By Refusing Lawyers A Raise For 2 Decades, Lawsuit Says” (Syracuse.com December 27, 2022), the lawsuit filed by Kristie Blase on behalf of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Hurrell-Harring, et al. v. State of New York, et al., Index No. 8866-07, Supreme Court, Albany County, to enforce the 2015 previously approved court-ordered Settlement Order is discussed.
The original lawsuit charged that New York State was failing in its duty to protect the rights of poor people in court by refusing to give court-appointed lawyers a pay raise. While the implementation of fundamental reforms were ordered by the Court in 2015 to remedy this, New York State Gov. Kathleen Hochul eliminated the New York State Legislature-approved funding increases in the State’s 2022-2023 budget.
Felicello Of Counsel Kristie Blase has worked on this matter as pro bono counsel since 2015.
