New York Law School’s Digital Commons@NYLS

Wice, Jeffrey M.

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
Redistricting Roundtable Updates NY Census and Redistricting Institute 
7-22-2024 
July 22 Elections, Census & Redistricting Update 
Jeffrey M. Wice 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/redistricting_roundtable_updates 
 
 
 
 
N.Y. ELECTIONS, CENSUS & REDISTRICTING UPDATE 
 
REDISTRICTING 
 
Orange County Legislature Advances New Map 
 
On a 5 to 2 vote last week, the Orange County Legislature’s Rules Committee 
approved a draft map for new county legislative districts that will be sent to the public 
for comment.  The meeting follows a June meeting when several members walked 
out, preventing the committee from taking earlier action. The public comment period 
runs from August 2 – August 16 for the public to submit comments via email or by 
USPS to the Clerk of the Legislature and a public hearing will be scheduled for 
August 15 at 5:00 PM. The final map will be submitted to the legislature’s Rules 
Committee on August 21 and, if it passes there, will go before the full Legislature for 
approval on September 5. The new map will be used in the 2025 election cycle. 
 
VOTING RIGHTS 
 
Mount Pleasant State VRA Pre-Motion Conference Scheduled 
 
A pre-motion conference is scheduled in Westchester County State Supreme Court 
on August 6 via TEAMS at Noon. In this case, a group of voters is seeking to change 
the way the Town of Mount Pleasant’s town board is elected based on allegations of 
vote dilution under the town’s current at-large scheme. The town’s attorney opposed 
the “overbreadth” of requests being made by the plaintiffs’ counsel for information 
relating to the town’ industrial development agency. The town is also seeking to 
quash deposition requests being submitted to the town. As a result, the plaintiffs are 
seeking a pre-motion conference to permit to the court to make further 
determinations on their requests. On July 18th, the town indicated that it may be 
willing to permit limited depositions and the plaintiffs are now requesting time to work 
out matters with the town, so the pre-motion conference may be subject to further 
scheduling changes. 
 
More Civil & Family Court Judgeships Created 
  
Governor Hochul signed Chapter 204 of the Laws of 2024 to increase the number of 
judges in family court to 67; adds twelve additional judges to the civil court in New 
York City; and adds additional family court judges to Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, 
Erie, Jefferson, Nassau, Rensselaer, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester counties. 
  
This chapter takes effect immediately, and requires these positions to appear on the 
November 5, 2024, General Election Ballot.  
  
Certificates of nomination for judicial candidates are due "not later than thirty days 
after the June primary or election or ten days after the creation of such vacancy, 
whichever is later." See Election Law 6-158 (6). 
  
 
 
Here, the date ten days after the creation of the vacancy would be later than thirty 
days after the June primary. Accordingly, certificates of nomination are due Monday 
July 29, 2024 (rolling from 27th which is a Saturday). 
  
Vacancies Created: 
  
New York City Civil Court Judges: 
  
New York County, Bronx, Kings and queens (three additional) 
  
Family Court Judges (outside NYC): 
  
Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Erie, Jefferson, Rensselaer, Rockland, Westchester - 
one additional judgeship in each county 
  
Suffolk and Nassau (two additional judgeships in each county) 
  
(Information provided by the NYS Board of Elections.) 
  
AROUND THE NATION 
  
MISSISSIPPI: A federal 3-judge panel has updated the Mississippi Legislature’s 
timeline to enact new state legislative maps that comply with the Voting Rights Act. 
Earlier this month, the panel struck down Mississippi’s legislative maps for diluting 
Black voting power in several districts. The state can now wait until 2025 to redraw 
these districts.  
  
The judges ruled on July 2 that new districts must be set before the regular 
legislative session begins in January but have now shifted this timeline. As a result of 
this decision, Mississippi will no longer be required to hold special legislative 
elections in November 2024. Also, the current legislators will likely now serve 2 out of 
their 4-year terms in the districts where the judges ruled that Black voting power was 
diluted. 
 
The N.Y. Elections, Census & Redistricting Institute is supported by grants 
from the New York Community Trust, New York Census Equity Fund, the 
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the New York City Council. This report was 
prepared by Jeff Wice & Alexis Marking. 


English

July 22 Elections, Census & Redistricting Update

https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news/1084/thumbnail.jp

Law School, New York

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
NYLS Community News History & Archives 
5-1-2024 
New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix Named 
Keynote Speaker at New York Law School’s 132nd 
Commencement 
New York Law School 
Marketing&Communications@nyls.edu 
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Recommended Citation 
Law School, New York, "New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix Named Keynote Speaker 
at New York Law School’s 132nd Commencement" (2024). NYLS Community News. 88. 
https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news/88 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History & Archives at DigitalCommons@NYLS. It has 
been accepted for inclusion in NYLS Community News by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@NYLS. 
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Since 1891
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Ceremony’s Theme Is “Civic Fame” Recognizing 
the Contributions of Public Service Lawyers
The Honorable Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix, New York City’s 
Corporation Counsel, will deliver the keynote address at New York 
Law School’s 132nd Commencement Ceremony. She will also 
accept the Civic Fame award on behalf of the lawyers of the New 
York City Law Department in honor of their courageous leadership 
through the immense challenges New York City has faced 
throughout its history.
The event will be held at Beacon Theater on Monday, May 20, 2024, 
with 350 total J.D. and LL.M. candidates graduating this year. 65% 
of this year’s graduates are women, one quarter are first-generation 
college graduates, and over half the class is from New York.
“We are honored that the Honorable Sylvia Hinds-Radix will join us 
as the first sitting Corporation Counsel to address our graduating 
class,” said Anthony W. Crowell, NYLS Dean and President. “As 
a senior leader in New York, and former Associate Justice of the 
New York State Appellate Division, Second Department, she has 
much wisdom and inspiration to share with our graduating class. 
The Corporation Counsel is a history-maker, as the first African 
American and Caribbean woman to hold the highest-ranking 
legal position in City government, overseeing one of the largest 
municipal legal agencies in the nation. New York Law School is 
proud that one third of our graduates enter public service and 
public interest, and that we are consistently one of the best 
represented law schools in new classes of attorneys that enter 
the Law Department and City service overall. It is only fitting that 
we celebrate NYLS and the Law Department’s integral role in the 
fabric of New York’s civic life.”
“New York Law School alumni have made a tremendous impact on 
the legal landscape of our city,” said New York City Corporation 
Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix. “They are among the many 
dedicated attorneys working tirelessly at the Law Department to 
further the city’s vision for a better New York. I look forward to 
addressing this year’s graduates, many of whom will be making 
the noble choice of entering public service to help the city meet 
the challenges that lie ahead.”
Judge Hinds-Radix will also accept the Law School’s Center 
for New York City Law’s Civic Fame award recognizing the 
indispensable service of the Law Department’s attorneys and staff 
on behalf of the people of New York City. The Civic Fame Award 
is given annually by the Center, which is directed by Professor 
Ross Sandler, in recognition of those who have made significant 
and long-term contributions to the civic life of New York City. It 
is named after the iconic bronze Civic Fame statue, which sits 
atop the Municipal Building overlooking City Hall. The New York 
City Law Department’s nearly 850 lawyers and 750 support 
professionals work tirelessly to provide the City of New York with 
the highest quality legal representation in countless matters and 
NYLS is immensely proud to count so many alumni within its 
ranks.
In a year when the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) 
is celebrating “Courage in Action” in legal education and the 
profession, the Law Department’s attorneys continue to be 
embodiments of this theme daily. In handling every conceivable 
matter and crisis, the Law Department’s attorneys have always 
provided a steady hand, ensuring that City government follows 
the law, while representing the best interest of New Yorkers. 
Therefore it is only fitting to honor the Law Department’s 
countless contributions this year, and as NYLS celebrates its 
Commencement in the iconic landmark institution Beacon 
Theater, which opened in 1929, sixteen years after Civic Fame was 
installed on top of the Municipal Building, the seat of municipal 
government.
In recent years, NYLS commencement speakers have included 
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, TV icon Judge Judy Sheindlin 
’65, then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, New 
York Attorney General Letitia James, former U.S. Attorney for the 
Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, the Emmy Award-
winning co-creator of “Making a Murderer” Laura Ricciardi ’96, 
then-New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, U.S. Senator 
Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), and the late Chief Judge of the U.S. Court 
of Appeals for the Second Circuit Robert A. Katzmann.
New York City Corporation Counsel 
Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix Named Keynote 
Speaker at New York Law School’s 
132nd Commencement
New York Law School  •  Published May 1, 2024
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Find more NYLS stories at news.nyls.edu.
About Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix
Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix was appointed as the 81st Corporation 
Counsel of the City of New York on February 25, 2022. In this role, 
she is the attorney for the City of New York, the Mayor, the City 
Council and all City agencies—both Mayoral and non-Mayoral. 
Prior to her appointment as Corporation Counsel, the Honorable 
Hinds-Radix served as an Associate Justice of the NYS Appellate 
Division, Second Department from 2012. 
In December of 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo designated 
Justice Hinds-Radix as a member of the NYS Constitutional 
Bench. Before joining the Appellate Division, she served as 
Administrative Judge for Civil Matters in the Second Judicial 
District. In that capacity, she oversaw both the New York State 
Supreme Court, Civil Term and the New York City Civil Court, 
which also encompasses the Housing Court of the City of New 
York. She was elected to the Supreme Court, Kings County in 
November of 2004 and served as a New York City Civil Court 
Judge, from 2002 through 2004, spending her first year in the 
Criminal Court of Kings County. In 1985, soon after graduating 
from law school, she joined the legal staff of District Council 37 
Municipal Employees Legal Services, where she remained until 
her Civil Court election in 2001.  While at DC 37, she practiced in 
the areas of Civil Practice, Bankruptcy, Landlord/Tenant and was 
the General Counsel of the immigration program; a program which 
she founded.
Hon. Hinds-Radix is the President of the Caribbean American 
Lawyers Association (CALA), and a former President of the Nathan 
K. Sobel American Inns of Court, the Supreme Court Justices 
Association of the City of New York, and the Brooklyn Women’s 
Bar Association. She is a Board Member of the New York State 
Continuing Legal Education Board, the Women in the Courts 
Committee, the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, and JALBCA. 
She is a member of the Board of Directors for the St. Gabriel’s 
Senior Citizens Center and the St. John’s Bread and Life Agency. 
She is also a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association, the New 
York State Association of Supreme Court Justices, the New 
York State Bar Association, Columbian Lawyers of Brooklyn, 
the Association of Black Women Attorneys, Puerto Rican Bar 
Association, Latino Judges Association, Metropolitan Black Bar 
Association, The Tribune Society, the National Bar Association’s 
Judicial Section, and the Caribbean American Chamber of 
Commerce & Industry, Inc.
She is the recipient of many awards, including The Gold Crown of 
Merit, which was conferred upon her by the Governor General of 
Barbados on the nation’s celebration of its 39th anniversary of its 
independence, one of the nation’s highest honors. She has also 
been honored with the Shirley Chisholm Award given to her by the 
Barbados Consulate in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of 
Barbados’ Independence. She has been honored with the Golda 
Meir Award, bestowed by the Jewish Lawyers Guild, as well as 
the Beatrice M. Judge Award and the Sybil Hart Kooper Award by 
the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, the Distinguished Judiciary 
Award and the President’s Award by the Catholic Lawyers 
Guild, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the 
Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora and was named one of 
the Top Women in Business by the Home Reporter. She is also the 
recipient of the 2019 New York State Bar Association’s Diversity 
Trailblazer Award, the 2021 Hon. Theodore “Ted” Jones Lifetime 
Achievement Award from the Unified Court System’s Committee 
to Celebrate Black History Month and the 2021 Hon. William 
C. Thompson, Sr. Black History Month for Judicial Excellence. 
Most recently, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award 
from the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, the Alpha Phi Alpha 
Fraternity’s Gamma Iota Lambda Chapter’s PHI Award, the Medgar 
Evers College’s Caribbean Research Center’s Women’s Heritage 
Award, the NYC Correction Department’s Women’s History Month 
Award, the Network of Bar Leaders’ NoBL Award, the New York 
State Bar Association’s Trial Lawyers Section’s Justice Ruth Bader 
Ginsberg Vanguard Award, the Judicial Section of the National 
Bar Association’s Outstanding Member Award, and the Defense 
Association of New York’s Outstanding Public Service Award.
She earned her B.S from the University of Massachusetts, her 
Master’s in Political Science from Long Island University and 
received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law. She 
also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from 
Metropolitan College of New York. In addition to being admitted 
to practice law in the State of New York, Hon. Hinds-Radix is also 
admitted to the United States Federal Court: Southern and Eastern 
Districts of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the 
Second Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.           
Hon. Hinds-Radix is married to Dr. Joseph Radix, and they are the 
proud parents of three wonderful daughters.


New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix Named Keynote Speaker at New York Law School’s 132nd Commencement

https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news/1080/thumbnail.jp

Bancamper, Jennifer

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
NYLS Community News History & Archives 
4-4-2024 
The Women of Three Mile Island Recount Their Untold Truths 
Jennifer Bancamper 
Marketing&Communications@nyls.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news 
Recommended Citation 
Bancamper, Jennifer, "The Women of Three Mile Island Recount Their Untold Truths" (2024). NYLS 
Community News. 96. 
https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news/96 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History & Archives at DigitalCommons@NYLS. It has 
been accepted for inclusion in NYLS Community News by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@NYLS. 
For more information, please contact camille.broussard@nyls.edu, farrah.nagrampa@nyls.edu. 
Since 1891
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
On Wednesday, March 20, the Wilf Impact Center for Public 
Interest Law hosted a screening and panel discussion of 
Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island, an award-winning 
documentary about the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. 
history. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Justice & 
Democracy (CJ&D) at New York Law School (NYLS) and the Forum 
on Life, Culture & Society (FOLCS) at Touro University.
NYLS students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered 
in the auditorium to watch the compelling documentary alongside 
its creator and subjects. For the next hour and a half, attendees 
were transported back in time, witnessing the Three Mile Island 
accident unfold through the eyes of the courageous women who 
lived through it.
The women-led panel, moderated by FOLCS, featured Heidi 
Hutner, Director of Radioactive and Professor of Environmental 
Humanities at Stony Brook University; the four “Concerned 
Mothers” whom the film follows: Linda Braasch, Joyce Corradi, 
Beth Drazba, and Paula Kinney; and Joanne Doroshow, 
Executive Director of CJ&D and an NYLS Adjunct Professor who 
took the local community’s case to the U.S. Supreme Court as a 
young attorney.
The Three Mile Island (TMI) accident occurred on March 28, 1979, 
when a radioactive gas plume was released near Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania, due to a core meltdown in the Unit 2 reactor 
(TMI-2) of the TMI Nuclear Generating Station. Despite insistent 
government reassurance of minimal health risks, subsequent 
investigations revealed that the meltdown released 22 million 
curies of xenon over a 100-mile radius. Aaron Datesman, Former 
Senior Detector Engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, 
estimated that those closest to the gas plume suffered a level 
of exposure equivalent to 50-to-100,000 X-rays. Many residents 
also reported symptoms consistent with radiation poisoning. 
Following the accident, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
suspended operations of the plant’s Unit 1 reactor (TMI-1).
The Concerned Mothers spent the next few years tirelessly 
advocating for accountability from the plant operator, General 
Public Utilities (GPU), by engaging local officials and NRC 
members. On how the four women connected, Kinney told 
attendees: “Every meeting I went to, I would see them. They’d 
have the NRC or GPU at the different [meetings]…It was very 
clear that they were either lying, or they didn’t know what they 
were doing; neither one was very comforting. We decided we had 
to do something.”
Although the Concerned Mothers fiercely embodied perseverance 
throughout their yearslong fight against GPU, Drazba revealed that 
they perceived themselves quite modestly. “[The government 
was] always trying to do little things to separate our power. The 
ironic thing is, we did not see ourselves as powerful. We were just 
moms trying to get the truth of if our kids were going to get sick 
or not.”
In 1981, the NRC held hearings for the proposed reopening of 
TMI-1. At the time, Professor Doroshow served as lead counsel 
and spokesperson for the Concerned Mothers and TMI Alert, 
an anti-nuclear community group. During this time, GPU was 
convicted of falsifying data on radioactive water leaks within TMI-
2 that occurred shortly before the accident. It was also around 
this time that the NRC reopened hearings after plant operators 
who required relicensing were caught cheating on their licensing 
exams. Despite GPU’s misconduct, the NRC voted 4-1 for TMI-1 
operations to resume.
Reflecting on these events, Hutner expressed the belief that the 
nuclear energy industry “wants to pretend that what they’re doing 
isn’t incredibly dangerous.”
On behalf of the Concerned Mothers and TMI Alert, Professor 
Doroshow filed a brief with the Supreme Court to stop the TMI-1 
restart, which Justice William Brennan granted. Dashing the 
The Women of Three Mile Island 
Recount Their Untold Truths
Jennifer Bancamper  •  Published April 04, 2024
Left to right: Paula Kinney, Beth Drazba, Joyce Corradi, Linda Braasch, Heidi 
Hutner, and Professor Joanne Doroshow.
  
 
Left to right: Paula Kinney, Beth Drazba, Linda Braasch, and Heidi Hutner
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Find more NYLS stories at news.nyls.edu.
community’s brief sense of hope, the Supreme Court ultimately 
overturned the grant in an 8-1 vote.TMI-1 resumed operations the 
next day.
Sitting beside Hutner and FOLCS Executive Director Thane 
Rosenbaum, Professor Doroshow recalled the reversal for 
attendees. “I knew we were going to lose, because, like many 
courts, that court is loathed to second-guess the NRC,” she said. 
“[Public officials] had no authority to stop this. This was entirely the 
decision of five commissioners who were sitting in Washington, 
DC.” Here, Professor Doroshow referenced the Atomic Energy Act, 
which bars state-level government input on matters of radiation and 
radiological health.
Kicking off the audience Q&A, an environmental lawyer sought the 
panel’s advice for advocates and law students aspiring to represent 
communities that have been similarly impacted by injustice.
“What it took for me was perseverance, and not giving up in the 
face of people that I knew were suffering a grave lack of integrity,” 
answered Professor Doroshow. “As long as you are confident in 
that, and you know you’re right, I think that you can’t go wrong.”
Professor Joanne Doroshow (left) and Thane Rosenbaum (right) Linda Braasch (left) and Heidi Hutner (right)


The Women of Three Mile Island Recount Their Untold Truths

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Falati, Shahrokh

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
NYLS Community News History & Archives 
3-15-2024 
NYLS Clinic Secures Patent on Technology to Help Children With 
Hearing Loss 
Shahrokh Falati 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news 
Since 1891
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Parents of young children noted many difficulties ensuring 
that their child’s cochlear implant stayed connected, knowing 
that constant disconnection can negatively impact their child’s 
brain development. Sommer’s technology enables children to 
have uninterrupted access to sound during this critical period 
of development. The device enables one to secure an external 
transmitter of a cochlear implant to the head of the child in a novel 
way and for it to be adjustable for each child’s unique implant 
location. It is compatible with both behind-the-ear and over-the-
ear processors from providers such as Cochlear, MED-EL, and 
Advanced Bionics.
The patent application was prepared, filed, and prosecuted 
to overcome rejections over a 2–3 year period. Near the end 
of prosecution and close to the allowance of the application, 
the technology got the attention of a pediatric medtech 
accelerator called The West Coast Consortium for Technology 
and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) based at Lurie Children’s 
Hospital in Illinois and Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. This 
consortium is a pediatric medical device accelerator, comprising 
a network of children’s hospitals, academic institutions, 
accelerators, and incubators spanning across eight states. Every 
organization in this network is devoted to the development and 
commercialization of new pediatric medical devices for clinical 
use. They have evaluated over 600 projects related to pediatric 
medical devices, making the selection process very competitive. 
Near the final stage of obtaining her patent, Sommer was 
accepted into the CTIP program to assist with all future aspects 
of the commercialization and launch of this product. 
Our Patent Law Clinic is proud to have played an instrumental role in 
assisting in the protection of this technology and to see our client’s 
startup, SyNAPS, LLC, become successful. With a patent now in 
hand, this startup company is now in the process of obtaining FDA 
regulatory approval with the aim of launching their product in 2025.  
Thank you to all those who worked on this patent file, including 
John Lopez ’23, Taylor Lepore ’22, Kiera Latham ’23, Jacob 
Ehrlich ’23, and Maximilian Ranzato ’23; and to our administration 
and staff at The Plumeri Center, home to NYLS’s experiential 
learning opportunities, for providing invaluable support for our clinic.
PLC Student, Maximilian Ranzato ’23
“During my time at the Patent Law Clinic, I encountered an 
invaluable learning experience that has significantly enriched 
my understanding of patent law and practice. Under Professor 
Falati’s mentorship, I have not only honed my skills in client 
communication and file management but also delved into 
extensive research on patent-related matters. Professor Falati’s 
guidance has been instrumental in navigating the complexities 
of patent law, and his approach to teaching has made the clinic 
sessions engaging and enjoyable. He has a knack for simplifying 
intricate concepts, ensuring that all students, myself included, 
grasp the subject matter effectively. Moreover, the opportunity to 
assist clients in obtaining patents, including the cochlear implant 
device, has been profoundly rewarding, reaffirming the importance 
of intellectual property rights in fostering innovation and protecting 
inventors’ creations.”
NYLS Clinic Secures Patent on 
Technology to Help Children 
With Hearing Loss
Professor Shahrokh Falati ’08  •  Published March 15, 2024
The Patent Law Clinic (PLC) at New York Law School (NYLS), directed by Professor Shahrokh 
(Seve) Falati ’08, recently succeeded in obtaining a patent for one of their clients. Ashley 
Sommer, an inventor based out of Denver, Colorado, developed technology related to cochlear 
implants for children with hearing disabilities. After reviewing existing products for children with 
hearing disabilities, she identified a great need that the parents of these children had and created 
a novel solution to address it. Her efforts led her to invent a device that helps parents make 
sure their child’s cochlear implant processors are connected without having to supervise and 
intervene. 
Patent Law Clinic at New York Law School 
The Patent Law Clinic, directed by Professor Shahrokh 
(Seve) Falati ’08, is a yearlong clinic, providing 2L and 3L 
students an opportunity to work with entrepreneurs and 
practice patent law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark 
Office (USPTO). 
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
PLC Client, Ashley Sommer
“I am very grateful to Professor Falati and the NYLS Patent Law 
Clinic team for all their hard work and perseverance throughout this 
process. As a small, self-funded business, a patent wouldn’t have 
been possible without their help. Having patent protection gives me 
confidence in moving forward with commercializing the product and 
gets us one step closer to our goal of helping more families!”
Find more NYLS stories at news.nyls.edu.
From left to right: Danielle Marshall ’25, Saoirse Moloney ’24, Karel 
Van Bourgondien ’25, Colleen McGuiness ’25, Peter Vicchio ’25, 
Sarah Glassman ’24, Chase Behar ’25, Hailey Kate Chatlin ’25, Rey 
Llena ’25, Timour Chamilov ’24, Rosemia Chiara ’25, and Stanislaw 
Gadek ’25.
Experiential Learning at New York Law School’s  
Plumeri Center
Experiential learning is an integral part of the NYLS education. 
The Plumeri Center is NYLS’s home for experiential learning, 
and the Center houses our many clinics, including the Asylum 
Clinic. Through our top-tier programs, we offer students the 
opportunity to turn theory into practice: Starting in their first 
year, students participate in counseling, interviewing, and 
negotiating exercises in their foundational Legal Practice 
course. During their upper-level years, students may select 
from a wide array of experiential learning courses to hone 
their lawyering skills. Together with a comprehensive legal 
education, these experiential offerings prepare our students 
for careers in advocacy.


NYLS Clinic Secures Patent on Technology to Help Children With Hearing Loss

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DigitalCommons@NYLS 
NYLS Community News History & Archives 
8-1-2024 
New Edelman ’82 and Townley (BLS ’91) Scholarship Supports 
Labor and Employment Law Careers 
New York Law School 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news 
Since 1891
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
 
Separate Donation Made to Support NYLS’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program and Establish Annual 
Edelman and Townley Lecture
New York Law School (NYLS) is proud to announce a new scholarship established by Howard C. Edelman ’82 
and Rosemary A. Townley, Ph.D. (’91 Brooklyn Law School), which will support students in NYLS Pro, the part-
time evening division program, who have an interest in a labor and employment law career.
Edelman and Townley are labor and employment law arbitrators and mediators who graduated from their 
respective schools through the evening law programs and appreciate the responsibilities and challenges of 
part-time evening division students. They want to ensure these students have opportunities to launch fulfilling 
and important careers in labor and employment law, including mediation. The support provided by Edelman and 
Townley will help those students who work full-time while attending NYLS.
In addition, Edelman and Townley have made a separate donation to support NYLS’s nationally recognized 
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program, a cutting-edge area of practice that continues to rapidly grow. 
This includes establishing an annual Edelman and Townley Lecture, featuring preeminent ADR leaders. The 
first will take place at NYLS on September 18, 2024, at 5:30 p.m., presenting Monu Singh, Deputy Chair of 
Dispute Resolution for the New York City Office of Collective Bargaining.
“Howard and Rosemary are pre-eminent in the field of non-judicial dispute resolution. We are not just grateful 
but privileged to be the recipient of their generosity. We look forward to the first Edelman Lecture,” said F. 
Peter Phillips ’87, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and Director of NYLS’s Alternative Dispute 
Resolution Skills Program.
Howard Edelman has been a labor and employment law arbitrator since 1982. He has presided over 6,000 
hearings during that time. He serves as a permanent arbitrator in over 100 collective bargaining agreements, 
including Consolidated Edison and Utility workers, New York City Department of Education and District Council 
37, Nassau County and Civil Service Employees Association, National Grid, and Transport Workers Union, and 
Baumann Bus Company and Teamsters. 
Rosemary Townley is the Principal of Townley ADR and has been a full-time independent arbitrator-mediator for the 
past 30 years. She is a member of various arbitration panels of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) including 
Class Actions, Commercial, Employment, Individually Negotiated Employment Contracts, Large, Complex Cases 
and Commercial Disputes. She is a member of the three-person NYS Public Employment Relations Board and Past 
Chair of the Labor and Employment Section of the NYS Bar Association. She has also accepted cases, both as a 
solo arbitrator and as a panel member, from the AAA International Centre on Dispute Resolution.
New Edelman ’82 and Townley  
(BLS ’91) Scholarship Supports Labor 
and Employment Law Careers
New York Law School  •  Published August 1, 2024
Find more NYLS stories at news.nyls.edu.


New Edelman ’82 and Townley (BLS ’91) Scholarship Supports Labor and Employment Law Careers

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DigitalCommons@NYLS 
NYLS Community News History & Archives 
3-14-2024 
AALS Selects New York Law School as Co-Host of the Journal of 
Legal Education 
New York Law School 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/community_news 
Since 1891
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Washington, DC (March 14, 2024) – The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) is pleased to announce 
New York Law School (NYLS) as a new co-host law school for the Journal of Legal Education (JLE). The school 
will join University of California, Irvine School of Law to provide editorial leadership for the publication starting in 
July 2024.
“The Journal of Legal Education is an essential resource for all law faculties. As the leading peer-reviewed journal, 
it provides unique and important opportunities for the publication of scholarly and pedagogical research that will 
help shape the future of legal education and the legal profession,” said Anthony W. Crowell, Dean, President, and 
Professor of Law, at NYLS. “With the journal entering its 76th year, it must continue to lead the way benefited by 
a deep commitment to excellence and innovation. To those ends, New York Law School is honored to partner with 
our colleagues at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and to build on a rich legacy cultivated over the 
years by the many host schools who have provided invaluable editorial leadership.”
The New York Law School editorial team will be led by William LaPiana, Dean of Faculty and Rita and Joseph 
Solomon Professor, and Kris Franklin, Wallace Stevens Professor of Law. Other accomplished NYLS faculty 
members, with a wide array of areas of expertise, will work with them.
New York Law School takes over from American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), co-host of the 
journal since 2018. AALS thanks AUWCL for their leadership of the journal, especially Dean Roger A. Fairfax, 
Jr. and former Dean Camille Nelson; editors Janie Chuang, Robert Dinerstein, Ezra Rosser, and Anthony E. 
Varona; and associate editors Llezlie Green, Elizabeth Keith, and Adeen Postar.
Published since 1948 by AALS, the academic journal fosters a rich interchange of ideas by publishing articles 
on issues confronting law school faculty and leadership, including curriculum development, innovations, the 
pipeline to the legal profession, teaching methods, and legal scholarship.
The JLE is printed and made available without cost to full-time faculty at member schools, courtesy of West 
Academic Publishing. The journal’s website (http://jle.aals.org) serves as a searchable repository for current 
and past issues with more than 435,000 article downloads from 218 countries since 2015.
About AALS 
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), founded in 1900, is a nonprofit association of 176 member 
and 18 fee-paid law schools. Its members enroll most of the nation’s law students and produce the majority 
of the country’s lawyers and judges, as well as many of its lawmakers. The mission of AALS is to improve and 
advance legal education. AALS carries out its mission by promoting the core values of excellence in teaching and 
scholarship, academic freedom, and diversity, including diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints, while seeking to 
foster justice, and to serve our many communities–local, national, and international. In support of its mission, AALS 
serves as both the institutional membership organization for law schools, and as the learned society for law faculty.
AALS Selects New York Law 
School as Co-Host of the Jour-
nal of Legal Education
New York Law School  •  Published March 14, 2024
Find more NYLS stories at news.nyls.edu.


AALS Selects New York Law School as Co-Host of the Journal of Legal Education

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
Redistricting Roundtable Updates NY Census and Redistricting Institute 
9-9-2024 
September 9 Elections, Census & Redistricting Update 
Jeffrey M. Wice 
New York Law School, jeffrey.wice@nyls.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/redistricting_roundtable_updates 
Recommended Citation 
Wice, Jeffrey M., "September 9 Elections, Census & Redistricting Update" (2024). Redistricting Roundtable 
Updates. 166. 
https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/redistricting_roundtable_updates/166 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the NY Census and Redistricting Institute at 
DigitalCommons@NYLS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Redistricting Roundtable Updates by an authorized 
administrator of DigitalCommons@NYLS. For more information, please contact camille.broussard@nyls.edu, 
farrah.nagrampa@nyls.edu. 
 
 
 
 
 
N.Y. ELECTIONS, CENSUS & REDISTRICTING UPDATE 
 
N.Y. VOTING RIGHTS ACT LITIGATION 
Orange County: Clarke et al. v. Town of Newburgh 
 
In January, three Black and three Hispanic residents of Newburgh filed this lawsuit, 
claiming the town’s at-large election system for Town Board elections has prevented 
Black and Hispanic residents from electing candidates of their choice, thus violating 
the N.Y. Voting Rights Act.  
 
On September 3, the Court released the pretrial requirements for the bench trial in 
Clarke et al. v. Town of Newburgh, which is set to begin on November 1, 2024. The 
Court required that each side provide to both the Court and opposing counsel all 
materials by October 17, specifically in the formats listed. The Court also issued a 
warning to plan ahead, as many of the requirements require conferring with other 
parties. The following items must be submitted: (1) a trial notebook; (2) copies of 
depositions; and (3) motions in limine.  
 
On September 6, a stipulation and order for the production and exchange of 
confidential information was filed. This order was in regard to the entry of a protective 
order pursuant to CPLR 3103(a), which “limits the review, copying, dissemination, 
and filing of confidential and/or proprietary documents and information to be 
produced” during the course of discovery by any party, non-party, or their respective 
counsel to the extent that is set forth in this stipulation and order. The terms were 
agreed upon by all parties.  
 
Nassau County Legislature: Coads et al. v. Nassau County & 
NY Communities for Change v. Nassau County 
 
These two actions, Coads et al. v. Nassau County and NY Communities for Change 
v. Nassau County, arose from challenges to the 2023 redistricting map for the 
Nassau County Legislature, which went into effect on February 28.  
 
The Court has reviewed the papers submitted in support of a motion from the NYCC 
plaintiffs for the admission of Delmarie Alicea pro hac vice. The Court intends to 
grant the motion. Counsel for the plaintiffs must submit a proposed order granting the 
motion by September 13.  
 
Westchester County: Serratto et al. v. Town of Mount Pleasant 
 
This lawsuit was filed in January by the Mount Pleasant Hispanic community. The 
suit asserts that the Town’s use of an at-large method of election, where all voters 
elect the Town Supervisor and all four Town Board members, led to racially polarized 
voting and prevented Hispanic voters from electing the candidate of their choice.  
 
 
 
On August 30, counsel for the defendants (the Town of Mount Pleasant) filed a letter 
of correspondence with the Court and requested a conference regarding its Order on 
Trial Readiness dated August 28, 2024. That order confirmed and adopted a report 
from the Court Attorney Referee (“Referee”) that the defendants claim is incorrect 
because it states that all discovery has been completed or waived.  
 
The defendants state that discovery is ongoing and that there are still multiple open 
discovery issues. For this reason and others, the defendants state they were not 
aware that the Referee “intended to certify this action as trial ready.” As a result, the 
defendants requested a conference to discuss these issues with the Court and the 
plaintiffs’ counsel. 
 
On September 3, the plaintiffs filed a letter of correspondence with the Court in 
response to the defendants. The plaintiffs state that the discovery items referenced 
by the Town in their letter are “very limited” with six items total, including one 
discovery item that the plaintiffs had already received and one deposition that the 
parties are still conferring on whether to conduct.  
 
The plaintiffs state that all remaining discovery involves non-parties, and that non-
party discovery can proceed even after filing the Note of Issue. Despite parties still 
conferring about a deposition and having some open discovery items, the plaintiffs 
state that none of the above “merit any delay in scheduling either a settlement 
conference or a trial.” 
 
On September 6, counsel for the plaintiffs (representing Mount Pleasant voters) filed 
the Note of Issue for a trial without a jury.  
 
Erie County: Young v. Town of Cheektowaga 
 
In March, a prior Town Board candidate named Kenneth Young filed a lawsuit 
against the Town of Cheektowaga, alleging racially polarized voting and violations of 
the New York Voting Rights Act (NYVRA) in the Cheektowaga Town Board elections. 
Young claims that minorities cannot elect candidates of their choice under the town’s 
current at-large voting method and should adopt a ward voting system. 
 
On September 3, counsel for the Town of Cheektowaga filed an amended notice of 
cross-motion for summary judgment (including exhibits A-J) and an amended 
counterstatement of material facts. The Town also filed an amended memorandum 
of law: (1) in opposition to Young’s motion for summary judgment, and (2) in support 
of their cross-motion for summary judgment. 
 
According to the Town’s memorandum, the Town argues that the plaintiff’s (Young’s) 
motion for summary judgment should be denied in its entirety, the complaint should 
be dismissed in its entirety, the Town’s cross-motion for summary judgment should 
be granted, and “the NYVRA should be struck down as unconstitutional.” In the event 
that the Town’s cross-motion is denied, the Town states that the plaintiff’s motion for 
summary judgment should be denied as “wholly premature,” and the Court should 
order discovery to proceed normally along with any other relief that the Court deems 
“just and proper.” 
 
 
 
ELECTIONS 
Appellate Division Rules Against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  
  
The Appellate Division, Third Department has affirmed a trial court’s decision which 
found that former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. used a false address 
on campaign filings, violating New York Election Law.  
  
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed RJK Jr.’s state nominating petition falsely listed a 
New York residence, while he has lived in Los Angeles since 2014. Kennedy testified 
that he rented a room in his friend’s home in Katonah but admitted that he had only 
slept in that room once due to “constant campaign travel.”  
  
His friend, Barbara Moss, also testified that she had agreed to rent the room to 
Kennedy, but a lease had never been written or signed. According to the Albany 
Times Union, Kennedy did not pay Moss any rent until “one day after the New York 
Post published an article that questioned his residency” in the amount of $6,000, 
which Kennedy claimed to be an “oversight.” 
  
According to the Third Department’s decision, “Petitioners have demonstrated by 
clear and convincing evidence that the Katonah address listed in the nominating 
petition was not Kennedy’s residence under the Election Law.” The decision was 
unanimous for all four judges.  
  
Kennedy can now either petition the New York Court of Appeals to hear the case, or 
let the current decision stand. A state appellate court also upheld a ruling that 
removed Kennedy from the New York ballot by invalidating the petition signatures 
collected for his campaign.  
  
Recently, Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald 
Trump. The former presidential candidate has not given a reason as to why he has 
continued to pursue a line on the New York ballot since.  
 
How to Register to Vote In New York 
  
In order to vote in New York, you must be a citizen of the United States; be 18 years 
old (16 or 17 year olds may pre-register, but cannot vote until they are 18); be a 
resident of New York State and the county, city, or village for at least 30 days before 
the election; not be in prison for a felony conviction; not be adjudged mentally 
incompetent by a court; and not claim the right to vote elsewhere. 
  
The deadline to register for the November 5th General Election is October 26, 2024. 
If you are unsure of your registration status, click here. 
  
If you are not already registered to vote, there are different ways you may do so: 
  
1. Register Online 
  
 
 
In order to register online, you need to use a NY Government ID (“NY.Gov ID”). If 
you have previously used NY.Gov ID, you will use the same login. If not, you will 
have to create an account. 
  
Alternatively, you can also use the Board of Elections’ Online Voter Registration 
portal. Completed applications are then sent to your County’s Board of Elections for 
Approval and Processing. 
  
2. Register In-Person 
  
When registering in person, you fill out the New York Voter Registration Form 
(English/Spanish) either by hand or typed. If typed, you must print the form and 
signed and dated by hand; electronic signatures are not accepted. Once complete, 
you can complete the forms, you can hand them in at your county board of elections, 
any New York State Agency-Based voter registration center, or at the Department of 
Motor Vehicles. 
  
3. Register by Mail 
  
When registering by mail, you fill out the New York Voter Registration Form 
(English/Spanish) either by hand or typed. If typed, you must print the form and 
signed and dated by hand; electronic signatures are not accepted. Alternatively, you 
can request a registration form by mail by either entering your name into the Voter 
Registration Form Request mailing list, calling the 1-800-FOR-VOTE (1-800-367-
8683) hotline. Once your form is completed, mail the form to your county board of 
elections. 
  
Once you are registered to vote, you may vote early by mail or in person, or in 
person on the day of the general election. If you choose to vote by mail, the deadline 
to apply for an absentee ballot in New York, is October 26 and ballots must be 
postmarked by November 5. 
  
After you register, you can use the voter registration portal or the voter registration 
form to change a name, address or party enrollment. Name or address changes 
must be received at least 15 days before an election. Party enrollment changes must 
be received by the board of elections no later than February 14th of that year. 
  
For more information about voter registration in all states, visit vote.gov. 
  
AG James Releases Guide on Fake AI-Content about the 
Elections 
  
New York Attorney General Letitia James  recently released a guide on “Protecting 
New Yorkers from AI-Generated Election Misinformation,” to help New Yorkers 
“identify and report misinformation generated by artificial intelligence (AI) about the 
upcoming November elections.”  According to the AG’s office, “artificial intelligence 
tools can be used to create fake or misleading videos, images, or audio that 
impersonate people or candidates and spread misinformation to try to impact voters. 
Fake content created by artificial intelligence can be used to cause confusion and, 
when spread rapidly and widely through social media platforms, can have a profound 
 
 
impact on voters’ actions.” The guide includes suggestions on how to determine fake 
content and report it. 
 
The N.Y. Elections, Census & Redistricting Institute is supported by grants 
from the New York Community Trust, New York Census Equity Fund, the 
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the New York City Council. This report was 
prepared by Jeff Wice with Alexis Marking and Jordan Karpoff. 


September 9 Elections, Census & Redistricting Update

January 31, 2024https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/student_organizations/1002/thumbnail.jp

Black Law Students Association

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
Student Organizations Event Posters 
1-31-2024 
BLSA Alumni Council Mentor and Mentee Mixer 
Black Law Students Association 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/student_organizations 
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Since 1891
January 31, 2024
5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
The Commons (W203)
RSVP: www.nyls.edu/BLSArsvp 
BLSA  
ALUMNI 
COUNCIL  
MENTOR  
AND  
MENTEE  
MIXER
Join us for a Black Law Students Association (BLSA) 
Alumni Council mentor and mentee mixer to kick off 
the spring semester and celebrate mentorship.


BLSA Alumni Council Mentor and Mentee Mixer

APRIL 4-5, 2024https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/student_organizations/1006/thumbnail.jp

New York Law School

DigitalCommons@NYLS 
Student Organizations Event Posters 
4-4-2024 
2024 Sports Law Symposium 
New York Law School 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/student_organizations 
WE ARE NEW YORK’S LAW SCHOOL
Since 1891
THURSDAY 
APRIL 4, 2024
 AND
FRIDAY 
APRIL 5, 2024
 
2024  
SPORTS  
LAW  
SYMPOSIUM
DAY 1
April 4, 2024
5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Fifth Floor Rooftop  
and Terrace
JOIN US FOR OUR 
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 
AND A SPORTS LAW 
DISCUSSION ALONGSIDE 
HORS D’OEUVRES AND 
BEVERAGES.
DAY 2
April 5, 2024
12:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Auditorium and  
Grand Gallery
12:30 p.m.  
DOORS OPEN
1:00 p.m.–1:10 p.m.  
OPENING REMARKS
1:15 p.m.–2:15 p.m.  
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, 
LICENSING DEALS, AND 
SPORTS PANEL
2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.  
ATTORNEYS IN ARENAS
3:45 p.m.–4:45 p.m.  
LEGAL ISSUES IN 
COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
5:00 p.m.  
NETWORKING RECEPTION 
LOCATION: New York Law School 
185 West Broadway, New York NY 10013
COST: Free
CLE: 1 credit in Areas of Professional Practice  
per panel (NY transitional and nontransitional)
RSVP: www.nyls.edu/sportslaw
CONTACT: SportsLawSociety@nyls.edu


2024 Sports Law Symposium

Our community turned up today to participate in an on-campus blood drive for New York Blood Center
October 9, 2024https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/photos_other_events/1004/thumbnail.jp