
Legal experts and government officials discussed the
possibilities and challenges of implementing statewide sustainable development
initiatives at the municipal level during the annual Edwin L. Crawford Program
on Municipal Law at Albany Law School on Friday, November 17, 2023. The
program, hosted by the Government Law Center at Albany Law School, examined how
state initiatives impact local governments, the role of local governments in
implementing them, existing sustainability initiatives in municipalities across
the state, and the future of local action around sustainable development.
The program included a keynote address by Doreen M. Harris,
President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA). Two panel discussions addressed the role of local
government in building decarbonization and investing in renewable energy,
respectively.
Panelists included:
• Elizabeth Bough Martin — Mayor of the Village of
Chittenango, New York
• Susanne DesRoches — Vice President, Clean and Resilient Buildings,
NYSERDA
• Malak Nassereddine — Senior Manager, New York Utility and
Regulatory Policy, Building Decarbonization Coalition
• Niki Armacost — Mayor of the Village of
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
• Anthony Fiore — Chief Program Officer, NYSERDA
• Madison Hertzog — New York City Mayor's Office of Climate
and Environmental Justice
Panel moderators included:
• Prof. Keith Hirokawa — Distinguished Professor of Law,
Albany Law School
• Javid Afzali ’12 — Partner, Harris Beach, PLLC
Nov 21, 2023
3 hr 30 min

The Government Law Center at Albany Law School hosted the
second of three programs in the series, Transcending Gender, Sex, and the Law,
on November 9, 2023. In this program, panelists discussed some of the many
challenges that transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex youth and
families encounter in New York State, the myriad ways in which the legal
community, advocacy groups, and state government have worked to address these
challenges, and remaining needs of TGNCI youth and families. Topics discussed
include health care decision making and informed consent for minors, access to
education free from discrimination and harassment, name and gender-marker
changes on identity documents, custody issues involving parents of transgender
youth, and more.
Participants:
Bria Brown-King – interACT Advocates for Youth
Lisa Campo-Engelstein – Institute for Bioethics & Health
Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Julius Faulkner – In Our Own Voices
Bobby Hodgson – New York Civil Liberties Union
Joe Williams ’15 – Copps DiPaola Silverman
Mary Ann Krisa, II, ’19 (moderator) – New York State Unified
Court System, Appellate Division, Fourth Department
Nov 15, 2023
1 hr 54 min

Judges, journalists, attorneys, and law enforcement
officials discussed the rights, responsibilities, and liability of the media,
courts, and law enforcement in a fictional criminal trial during the Fair
Trial/Free Press Conference: Gag Orders, Anonymous Juries, and the Media, on
Friday, November 3, 2023, at Albany Law School.
The program explored the legal, political, and ethical
issues that could arise in a hypothetical scenario in which a fictional
gubernatorial candidate was indicted on federal financial fraud charges and a
turbulent trial ensued. Panelists discussed the interplay of the Sixth
Amendment right to a fair trial and First Amendment rights to attend and report
on trials, including social media, gag orders, anonymous juries, police
conduct, and protection of the press and its sources. The full scenario is
here: https://www.albanylaw.edu/media/20391/download
Panelists included:
• Rosemary Armao — Investigative reporter, news editor, and
Adjunct Professor at the SUNY University at Albany
• Martin Bell, Esq. — Partner at Simpson Thacher &
Bartlett LLP and former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New
York
• Natalie Brocklebank, Esq. — Deputy Director of the New York
State Defenders Association
• John M. Czajka, Esq. ’04 — Division Counsel for the New
York State Police
• Hon. Mae D’Agostino — United States District Judge for the
Northern District of New York
• Carla DiRienzo — New York State Police Bureau of
Criminal Investigation, Field Command Office
• John J. Flynn, Esq. — Erie County District Attorney and
President of the District Attorneys' Association of the State of New York
• Prof. Roy Gutterman — Director of the Tully Center for Free
Speech and Professor of Communications, Magazine, News, and Digital Journalism
at the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Mark Mahoney —Journalist and Editorial Page Editor at the
Schenectady Gazette
The discussion was moderated by:
• Hon. Albert Rosenblatt – Retired Judge on the New York
Court of Appeals
• Rex Smith – Former Editor of the Albany Times-Union
The program was presented by the Government Law Center at
Albany Law School and the New York Fair Trial/Free Press Conference.
Nov 13, 2023
1 hr 59 min

Jane M. Spinak, the Edward Ross Aranow Clinical Professor Emerita of Law at Columbia Law School delivered the 9th annual Katheryn D. Katz ’70 Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.
Professor Spinak is a renowned advocate for children’s welfare, family rights and juvenile justice. She presented the lecture titled The End of Family Court.
Nov 9, 2023
1 hr 20 min

The Government Law Center at Albany Law School hosted the
first of three programs in the series, Transcending Gender, Sex, and the Law,
on October 26, 2023. In this program, panelists discussed some of the many
challenges that transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex adults
encounter in New York State, the myriad ways in which the legal community,
advocacy groups, and state government have worked to address these challenges,
and potential strategies for the future.
Participants:
Jillian T. Weiss, Esq. – Law Office of Jillian T. Weiss
Kym Dorsey – S.T.Y.L.E. (Self Turnaround Your Living
Environment) and Gender Equality New York
Ezra Cukor – Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
Charlie Arrowood – Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the
New York Courts and Gender Equality New York
Dena DeFazio ’18 – Barclay Damon and New York State Bar
Association, Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Chel Miller (moderator) – Government Law Center at Albany
Law School
Nov 8, 2023
2 hr 2 min

In honor of Domestic Violence Month, the Government Law Center and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Albany Law School and community partners co-hosted “Cultural Responsiveness in Domestic Violence Services.” Panelists discussed the role of culture in violence prevention, how victims experience abuse in culturally specific ways, and strategies to practice cultural responsiveness and cultural humility in domestic violence services.
Participants:
Norina Melita, Esq., as emcee
Prof. Jaya Connors, Director of the Field Placement Clinic at Albany Law School, former Director of the Family Violence Litigation Clinic
Somaia Sharif Zada, Afghan attorney refugee, part of the Unified Court System’s Judges for Career Opportunities for Refugees (J-COR) program
Demekia Santana, Advocate and Assistant Program Director, Catholic Charities of Fulton & Montgomery Counties, Montgomery County Domestic Violence & Crime Victim Services
Anna Breitegger ’24, J.D. Candidate and Co-Chair of the Women’s Law Caucus at Albany Law School
Hon. Lisa M. Fisher, Justice of the Appellate Division, Third Department, as moderator
Elizabeth Cronin, Esq., Director of the NYS Office for Victim Services
Lindsey Crusan-Muse, Director of St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services for St. Peter’s Health Partners
Remla Parthasarathy, Managing Attorney for Crime Victims at Empire Justice Center and Project Leader for the Crime Victims Legal Network
William Rivera, Crisis Intervention Director for Opportunities for Otsego, as moderator
Keri Boedigheimer, Rensselaer County Domestic Violence Courts Resource Coordinator
Hon. Esther M. Morgenstern, Justice of the Supreme Court, Kings County, National Mentor Court for IDV
Hon. Brian D. Burns, Justice of the Supreme Court, Otsego County IDV
Hon. Rebecca A. Slezak, Justice of the Supreme Court, Montgomery County IDV, as moderator
Partners/Presented By:
Montgomery County Bar Association
Women’s Leadership Initiative at Albany Law School
Women’s Law Caucus at Albany Law School
Government Law Center at Albany Law School
Third Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee
Fourth Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee
National Association of Women Judges, New York Chapter
New York State Bar Association, Women in Law Section
The Capital District Women’s Bar Association
Capital District Black and Hispanic Bar Association
Albany County Bar Association
Adirondack Women’s Bar Association
Schenectady County Bar Association
Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York
The Legal Project
Vella Carbone & Vinson, LLP
Copps DiPaola Silverman, PLLC
Oct 26, 2023
3 hr 13 min

Albany Law School Professor Jonathan Rosenbloom, recently released his new book, Remarkable Cities and the Security and Sovereignty of Food and Nutrition: 41 Ways to Regenerate the Local Food System.
The environment, climate, and society are rapidly changing. However, government regulations for land utilization and urban expansion lag behind. This powerful book delves into how local governments and communities can proactively transform zoning and development codes to effectively respond to changes by embracing a self-sustaining, local food and nutrition system that is accessible and equitable. The book provides dozens of best practice recommendations, supported by dozens of enacted ordinances.
Listen as Prof. Rosenbloom speaks about his recommendations and shares how we can rethink the role of development and how communities can grow while fostering a strong, inclusive, affordable, accessible, and healthy food system.
Albany Law School’s President and Dean Cinnamon P. Carlarne, a leading international expert in environmental and climate change law policy, also joined the conversation as well as some other special guests offering tributes throughout the event.
Event photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albanylaw/albums/72177720312032590
About the Book
This book, the second in a under the Sustainability Development Code project, produced by Prof. Jonathan Rosenbloom and the Environmental Law Institute, seeks to share different ways to jumpstart a move toward healthier, more equitable, and more environmentally-friendly communities. The book examines ways local governments regulate development and how that impacts the food system and offers 41 recommendations to amend development codes to increase food and nutrition security and sovereignty and create healthier communities.
A full description of the book is here.
Oct 24, 2023
57 min

The Albany Law Review and Government Law Center at Albany
Law School hosted a panel discussion exploring judicial selection methods for
state high courts employed across the nation. Panelists discussed how judicial
selection methods can affect judicial independence, accountability, diversity,
and public confidence. Panelists also discussed issues that can arise during
the selection process and potential solutions to address these issues. The
panel took place via Zoom on October 10, 2023.
Participants:
Hon. Leslie E. Stein (ret.) ’81 (moderator) — Director of
the Government Law Center at Albany Law School and former Associate Judge of
the New York State Court of Appeals
John F. Kowal — Vice President of Program Initiatives at the
Brennan Center for Justice
Prof. Chad Oldfather — Professor of Law at Marquette
University Law School
Prof. Noah Rosenblum — Assistant Professor of Law at the New
York University School of Law
David J. Sachar — Director of the Center for Judicial Ethics
at the National Center for State Courts
Oct 18, 2023
1 hr 36 min

Jonas Caballero ‘24 is doing incredibly important, difficult, and necessary work helping incarcerated individuals. He speaks in-depth about it on this week’s podcast.
For those who are sensitive to the topics, there is discussion about rape and sexual abuse in this episode.
Jonas recently went to Washington to be part of a Congressional Briefing regarding the 20th anniversary of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). He is also on the Board of Directors and the Survivor Council for Just Detention International.
While the work is draining and tough, he does find time to spread joy. Most notably, he has helped bring therapy dogs to help Albany Law students through finals for years now!
Jonas Caballero - President of 1L Class, Candid Leader: https://soundcloud.com/user-952955809-873766748/jonas-caballero-25-president-of-1l-class-candid-leader
Students Gain Real-World Courtroom Experience Through Unique Opportunity with United States District Court, Federal Bar Association: https://www.albanylaw.edu/news/students-gain-real-world-courtroom-experience-through-unique-opportunity-united-statesTherapy Dogs at Albany Law: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albanylaw/albums/72177720307320426
Oct 17, 2023
28 min

Marie-Therese Witte ‘24 is leading the oldest student-led law review in the nation. As you might imagine, the Albany Law Review has quite an interesting history. When it began, it also served as a news source for campus happenings and updates. It was decades before the internet, after all.
Witte, a former Latin and Spanish teacher, is grateful to be part of the community as a non-traditional student and is taking advantage of many aspects of the student experience.
The Albany Law Review is a quarterly law review edited by students at Albany Law School. The Albany Law Review is one of three student-edited law journals published by the school.
Albany Law Review: https://www.albanylawreview.org/
Demystifying the Bluebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46hLTq2jYLc
Oct 10, 2023
28 min
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