The judge said the administration had to decide by Jan. 5 whether it wanted to “facilitate” the men’s return to the United States or let them contest their initial removals in the federal courts. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Decisions and Verdicts”
Mistrial in Case of N.Y. Official Charged With Working for China
By Gotham Rex on December 22, 2025
Linda Sun was accused by federal prosecutors of selling her allegiance and being rewarded handsomely for influence peddling. Source: New York Times
In Trump’s Justice Dept., Failing in Court Might Be Better Than Bucking the Boss
By Gotham Rex on December 12, 2025
Thursday demonstrated an emerging reality for President Trump: Commanding the Justice Department is not the same as controlling the justice system. Source: New York Times
Trump Commuted David Gentile’s Sentence. His Victims Are Seething.
By Gotham Rex on December 12, 2025
David Gentile spent just days in prison for his conviction in what prosecutors described as a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of investors. Source: New York Times
Prosecutors Drop Murder Case Against Man Who Served More Than 25 Years
By Gotham Rex on December 2, 2025
James Pugh, one of two men originally convicted in the savage killing of Deborah Meindl near Buffalo in 1993, said all along that he was innocent. Source: New York Times
Alina Habba, Trump’s Former Lawyer, Is Unlawful U.S. Attorney, Appeals Court Says
By Gotham Rex on December 1, 2025
The judges wrote that the Trump administration appeared to have become frustrated by legal and political barriers that have prevented its preferred U.S. attorneys from leading federal prosecutors’ offices. Source: New York Times
Prosecutors Prepare to Try Suspect in Etan Patz Case for the Third Time
By Gotham Rex on November 25, 2025
The defendant, Pedro Hernandez, was convicted in 2017 of kidnapping the 6-year-old, who disappeared in 1979 in SoHo. Source: New York Times
Judge Tosses Criminal Charges Against James Comey and Letitia James
By Gotham Rex on November 24, 2025
The decision is a setback for the president’s efforts to wield the criminal justice system against his perceived enemies. Source: New York Times
Orthodox Jewish Man Sentenced to 103 Years for Sex Abuse May Go Free
By Gotham Rex on November 23, 2025
Nechemya Weberman, convicted of molesting a 12-year-old girl in a politically charged case, is seeking a new, shorter sentence with the Brooklyn district attorney’s support. Source: New York Times
N.Y. Doctor Accused of Desecration Can Be Sent to Japan, Court Rules
By Gotham Rex on November 18, 2025
A federal appeals court ruled that Masahide Kanayama, a surgeon and practicing Christian, may be extradited to face charges of vandalism. Source: New York Times
Judge Dismisses Trump’s Challenge of New York Law Barring Court Arrests
By Gotham Rex on November 18, 2025
The state law largely prohibits immigration arrests in state and local courthouses. A federal judge said it was not unconstitutional. Source: New York Times
New York Judge Dismisses Texas Challenge to the State’s Abortion Shield Law
By Gotham Rex on October 31, 2025
The lawsuit was filed against an Ulster County clerk who rebuffed an attempt to enforce a Texas judgment against a New York doctor for sending abortion pills to that state. Source: New York Times
Guard Is Convicted of Pursuing Jail Smugglers and Firing at Them
By Gotham Rex on October 28, 2025
Leon Wilson, a veteran correctional officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center, chased the people from the lockup’s parking lot to the Brooklyn Bridge. Source: New York Times
Alvin Bragg, Seeking Re-election, Is Not Mentioning His Best-Known Case
By Gotham Rex on October 26, 2025
He is the only prosecutor to convict a president. But mentioning Donald Trump to him on the campaign trail is a conversation stopper. Source: New York Times
One of 3 Prison Guards Is Convicted in Fatal Beating Caught on Video
By Gotham Rex on October 20, 2025
Footage of guards punching, choking and stomping Robert L. Brooks ignited an outcry. One was found guilty of murder on Monday. For two others, the gamble of going to trial paid off with acquittals. Source: New York Times