Closter, NJ resident Amy Goldenberg earned her juris doctor from Touro Law School. A judicial clerk in Closter, NJ, attorney Amy Goldenberg is a member of the Criminal Courts Committee of the New York City Bar Association.
The New York City Bar’s Criminal Courts Committee recently issued a report supporting the One Day to Protect New Yorkers Act, a proposed bill that would reduce the maximum sentence for Class A misdemeanors by one day. While the organization has previously expressed approval for the proposed legislation, reiteration was necessary due to unfair application of existing laws against immigrants.
The proposed legislation, if enacted, will reduce the maximum punishment for Class A misdemeanors in New York. Furthermore, it would apply retroactively, reducing by one day the sentences for people previously convicted of this class of misdemeanors.
Under existing laws, the maximum sentence for such misdemeanors is one year. In the wake of a renewed crackdown on immigration, federal immigration authorities have used enhanced powers to target immigrants who have been sentenced to terms of one year or longer. The proposed reduction of Class A misdemeanors by one day to 364 days instead of 365 would safeguard immigrants from such deportation actions.
