Monthly Archives: August 2020
Understanding The Difference Between Decriminalization and Legalization
When it comes to individuals facing drug charges here in New York, including for marijuana, there is still significant confusion over the difference between legalization and decriminalization, and the distinction is key; not only when it comes to arrests and criminal charges, but in terms of public safety as well. Although marijuana has been… Read More »
New Limits On DACA Applicants & Renewals and Changes On the Horizon for H-1B Visa & Skilled Immigration Categories
After the US Supreme Court declared the administration’s rescission of the DACA program to be illegal, the Department of Homeland Security then announced that it would, altogether, cease processing new applicants; a move that one judge has already declared to be in violation of the US Supreme Court’s decision. The administration also announced that… Read More »
Overturning Faulty, Unfair Convictions–which Disproportionate Impact Blacks and Latinos–Is Near Impossible Due to Legal Roadblocks
Although fairness requires that, even for defendants who have already been convicted of a crime by a jury, if new evidence emerges, a jury be able to consider this new evidence to determine whether it raises a reasonable doubt as to their guilt, in our criminal justice system, most of those wrongfully convicted and… Read More »
Immigrants & Defendants Facing Health Crises While Lingering in Jail, Despite Constitutional Rights
The latest reports on US jails and prisons indicate that pandemic-related conditions are placing the health of those in custody in serious jeopardy, and have resulted in the deaths of several immigrants and a number of constitutional rights violations, including the right to a speedy trial. In addition, unfortunately, on August 5, the US… Read More »
Attorney Mark I. Cohen Featured in Bloomberg News – Chaos in Courts: ‘Keep Everyone in Jail and We’ll Sort It Out’
Aug. 7, 2020, 4:51 AM Jordan S. Rubin Reporter Jose Javier Rivera Bernard faces what’s become a common Covid-19 dilemma in the criminal justice system, as he sits in New York’s coronavirus-stricken Metropolitan Correctional Center, facing federal drug charges with no end to his case in sight. His lawyer, Mark I. Cohen, thinks he… Read More »
