Rule of law comes with a price
The price we pay for our justice system is evident in the less-than-satisfying outcomes in the trial of Casey Anthony and the case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, says Paul Campos in NPR. We would be...
View ArticleCountries thrive when tyrants pay
It is challenging for countries to confront their history and bring tyrants to justice, says Kathryn Sikkink in The New York Times. But experience shows that countries that pursue justice for political...
View ArticleAl-Awlaki’s death affront to rule of law
The assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki and the subsequent domestic applause for President Obama’s action should put a chill into anyone who understands the Constitution and who believes in due process of...
View ArticleThe murky case of al-Awlaki
Our opinion: The Obama administration needs to explain, openly, its justification for killing an American citizen without trial. You may well think that Anwar al-Awlaki, an American who became a...
View ArticleRavi sentencing fair and merciful
We’ll never know to what extent Tyler Clementi’s suicide was provoked by his roommate’s use of a webcam to spy on him, says Emily Bazelon in Slate. But a harsh sentence would have “seemed out of...
View ArticleLaw and order and justice
Our opinion: Protecting the innocent should be as high a priority as punishing the guilty. The state Legislature needs to move on some bills that would help prevent wrongful convictions. Life and...
View ArticleAmerica is better than death penalty
The death penalty degrades America, says Julie Bindel, and is an unworthy stain on a country that wishes to be seen as the beacon of freedom, democracy and human rights, she says. Nobody is born to be...
View ArticleNew York’s legal dilemma
Our opinion: Despite gains, funding for civil legal aid for the poor still falls short. But it’s as vital a need as criminal representation. There’s no good time to be poor, but a recession is an...
View ArticleEnvironmental justice crucial for everyone
The article, “$6.5M deal to finish cleanup,” Oct. 17, about the Superfund site in Saratoga Springs, should encourage people to learn more about environmental justice. National Grid made a deal with the...
View ArticlePolitics ruled in appointment
Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a terrible mistake by failing to appoint an experienced and dedicated judge to the Court of Appeals, incumbent Victoria Graffeo. Passing over a dedicated and experienced public...
View ArticleFunding creates unequal justice
The editorial “A fair deal for Mr. Bruno,” Nov. 13, made a good point: The reimbursement rates for a lawyer as set by the Legislature should apply to everyone. There should not be a different standard...
View ArticleThe erosion of justice
How do we make sense of the senseless death of an African-American man whose only offense was, maybe, selling untaxed cigarettes? How do we explain the inexplicable decision that none of the white...
View ArticleA smart, just solution
Our opinion: The state attorney general comes up with a temporary way to deal with police killings of civilians. New York needs a credible short-term fix as it weighs criminal justice reforms. At a...
View ArticleA shared road to justice
Our opinion: Fear, frustration and anger should not divide society into separate camps on the issue of race and justice. —The problem with the difficult and sometimes painful discussion our society is...
View ArticleAmerican system should ensure justice for all
In response to the Dec. 28 stories and commentary by Brianna Snyder (“Police seek to bridge divide”) and Fred LeBrun (“Opportunities in volcanic eruption”), I would say the issue is not so much a...
View ArticleChild Victims Act needs action now
No doubt the proposed Child Victims Act is a controversial topic among the members of our state Legislature, various institutions across this state and taxpayers and citizens alike. For nine years, it...
View ArticleTwo wrongs N.Y. can right
Our opinion: There are concrete steps New York can take now to begin restoring faith and trust in our justice system. Something is wrong when an unarmed black man, accused of nothing more that selling...
View ArticleLet’s get Dixon the justice he deserves
After reading Chris Churchill’s columns on Marquis Dixon, there is no doubt that justice was not served (“Sentence more about poverty than justice,” Jan. 25, and “Punishment sometimes surpasses a...
View ArticlePublic defenders unfairly judged
In Chris Churchill’s column on Marquis Dixon, he expresses an opinion about public defenders and the quality of defense they produce (“Sentence more about poverty than justice,” Jan. 25). I take strong...
View ArticleDeath demands answers
Our opinion: A justice system that needs public confidence can’t leave so many questions hanging when an unarmed person dies in an encounter with police. By all accounts, Daniel Satre was not a...
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