The Legal Aid Society

05/29/2026

We’ve filed a lawsuit on behalf of tenants at River Park Towers in the Bronx, where hundreds of low-income residents in federally subsidized housing have faced wrongful eviction filings.

Tenants repeatedly submitted required income paperwork. Management failed to properly process or maintain records, then moved to evict.

No one should face losing their home because of a broken administrative system. Our lawsuit seeks to stop these practices, halt pending and future evictions tied to them, and ensure compliance with affordable housing laws. Learn more at the link in our bio.

05/28/2026

New York City families have filed a lawsuit challenging ACS’s use of “emergency removal” powers to separate children from their parents without a court order.

The lawsuit alleges ACS routinely misuses a power meant only for truly urgent situations, violating families’ constitutional rights and disproportionately harming Black and Latino communities.

The case raises urgent questions about due process, racial equity, and government overreach in the child welfare system.

The Administration for Children’s Services has long abused its so-called “emergency removal” authority with devastating consequences for families.

05/18/2026

A child was born in a Brooklyn courtroom.

On Friday night, a woman went into labor while in custody during Brooklyn arraignments and gave birth on a courtroom bench — without adequate medical care, privacy, or dignity. Attorneys and staff witnessed her labor surrounded by court personnel, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and others.

No person should ever be forced to give birth in handcuffs or endure labor while restrained, exposed, and denied basic medical care and human dignity.

What happened was not just a failure of protocol — it was a profound moral failure and a devastating reflection of the cruelty embedded in our carceral system.

The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem are demanding an immediate and transparent investigation into the actions of all agencies and personnel involved.

This can’t happen. We won’t let it.

05/14/2026

Judith Goldiner, Attorney in Charge of The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Law Reform Unit, teamed up with Council Member Gale Brewer for a new op-ed in City & State examining the serious concerns surrounding Intro. 303.

While well-intentioned, the bill as currently drafted could destabilize New York’s home care system and put medically vulnerable New Yorkers at risk.

They write: “Intro. 303 tries to solve the problem of abuse of the current rules by throwing the baby out with the bathwater. New Yorkers deserve better than false choices and unfunded mandates.”
Learn more:

Legal Aid's Judith Goldiner and Council member Gale Brewer make the case against Intro. 303.

05/12/2026

Julia Yepez-Macbeth is one of many New Yorkers who could face a dangerous, life-altering gap in care if Intro 303 passes as written. While the bill’s name suggests compassion, the reality is far more complicated. Intro 303 would eliminate 24-hour care shifts without putting a workable alternative in place for people who rely on consistent, life-sustaining care.

Care workers deserve fair pay and humane working conditions. But solutions cannot come at the expense of New Yorkers with significant disabilities who depend on this care to safely remain in their homes and communities. We can and must find a solution that protects both workers and care recipients.

Take action and tell the City Council to reject Intro 303 here:https://legalaidnyc.quorum.us/campaign/161562/

05/07/2026

Mayor Mamdani and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Dina Levy announced the City has secured a record $31 million in penalties against the owners of Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers in the Bronx – the largest penalty ever obtained by HPD.

The Legal Aid Society has represented tenants of both towers for several years, working with them to exhaust every available avenue to address the issues that plagued the buildings.

"Our clients have pursued every remedy available, yet the landlord has failed to act. We welcome the City’s effort to transfer ownership to a responsible party and will continue fighting to ensure residents receive the safe, dignified housing they deserve.” Zoe Kheyman, staff attorney at Legal Aid.
🔗 Learn more at the link in our bio.

04/29/2026

As our staff attorney Kathryn Kliff notes, NYC must meet its right-to-shelter mandate — but overcrowded, chaotic facilities put women at risk and fail to provide real support.

Fights, assaults and deaths have long plagued the Tillary Street Women’s Shelter in Downtown Brooklyn. Emergencies have only surged in recent years.

04/24/2026

"Twenty-four-hour care is not about convenience. It is about dignity. It is what allows me to live, not just exist...

That is why I am deeply alarmed by the New York City Council bill known as 'No More 24.' Julia Yepez-Macbeth, Disabled in Action.

I would not be alive today without the support of home care aides. That is why I am deeply alarmed by Intro 303, the New York City Council bill known as “No

04/23/2026

Today, we’re dressed in all black, joining public defenders across the country in a national day of action calling for increased funding and reduced workloads. We're sounding the alarm: the constitutional right to counsel is being systemically dismantled.

Across the country, and here in New York, public defender offices are stretched thin, underfunded, understaffed, and carrying impossible caseloads. That’s not justice. It’s a system failing the very right it promises to protect.

Public defenders are essential. We deserve the funding and support to do this work and provide meaningful representation.
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04/15/2026

Being incarcerated should never mean losing your voice.

Yesterday, the Vote in NYC Jails Coalition alongside public defenders, elected officials, advocates, community leaders, and directly impacted New Yorkers rallied on the steps of City Hall ahead of a City Council hearing on voting access for incarcerated people in New York City jails.

Despite clear legal protections, too many eligible voters detained in city jails continue to face serious barriers to registering, requesting absentee ballots, and having their votes counted.

The current absentee ballot system has consistently failed incarcerated New Yorkers. That’s why advocates are calling for stronger, durable solutions — including polling sites in jails — to ensure every eligible New Yorker can fully participate in our democracy.

As Rigodis Appling of The Legal Aid Society said: “Voting is a fundamental right, not a privilege contingent on circumstance.”

We urge City leaders to address these systemic barriers and protect the voting rights of all eligible New Yorkers. 🔗Link in bio for more.

04/09/2026

No one should be stopped, profiled, or arrested because of the color of their skin.

Today, The Legal Aid Society joined the New York Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road New York, and Covington & Burling LLP in filing a class action lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s unlawful practice of conducting suspicionless stops and warrantless immigration arrests based solely on perceived race and ethnicity.

The complaint details how agents have routinely ignored the legal requirements of reasonable suspicion and probable cause, instead carrying out stops and arrests driven by racial profiling and pressure to meet aggressive federal immigration arrest quotas. This lawsuit seeks to challenge a pattern of unlawful enforcement that has put thousands of Latino, Black, and Brown New Yorkers at risk and undermined the constitutional rights of communities across our city and state. Learn more:

DHS Agencies including ICE and CBP unlawfully target Latino New Yorkers and people of color for stops, arrests, and detentions.