When the First Department affirmed the conviction in People v Martin on September 30, 2025, it did more than uphold a jury’s verdict. It clarified how trial courts should handle modern Second Amendment arguments, New York’s permissive intent presumption, and the kind of proof that meets the State’s burden on…
If you are arrested in New York after police recover a weapon from a vehicle, whether you can challenge that evidence depends on whether you had a legal expectation of privacy in the car. A recent decision from the Appellate Division, Second Department, makes clear that passengers without ownership or…
Are Byrna and Other Less-Lethal Weapons Legal in New York? In recent years, products like the Byrna launcher—a CO₂-powered less-lethal device that fires kinetic or chemical projectiles—have become increasingly popular among people looking for self-defense alternatives. But the legality of these devices in New York State is not straightforward. While…
If you’ve been arrested and are facing a jury trial, one of the most important stages in a jury trial is jury selection. A single biased juror can jeopardize the fairness of your entire case. In a recent opinion out of Brooklyn, a defendant convicted of criminal possession of a…
In a rare but powerful decision, a Brooklyn appellate court has reversed a conviction for Brooklyn gun case, vacated the defendant’s guilty plea, suppressed the gun that formed the heart of the prosecution’s case, and dismissed the indictment. The case sends a clear message: when the police can’t meet their…
In some criminal cases, officers impound a suspect’s car after they conduct a traffic stop. Is this allowed? When can an officer impound a suspect’s vehicle under the law in New York? Recent case law helps clarify the answer to this very question. The standard under New York case law…
In a recent gun case before the New York Appellate Division, First Department, the defendant asked the court to reconsider the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress. After reviewing the defendant’s argument, the higher court disagreed, ultimately concluding that the police officer searching the defendant’s bag was within…
In a recent New York gun case, the Court upheld a warrantless search of a defendant’s bag. Under New York law, when a police officer does not have prior approval from a judge, the officer is still allowed to search and seize a person’s private property under certain limited circumstances.…
In 2017, New York case law created a new precedent indicating that when identification is an issue in a criminal case, and when the identifying witness and defendant are seemingly of different races, the defendant is entitled to a charge on “cross-racial identification.” This means that when a witness identifies…
In a recent case before a New York appellate court, the defendant successfully appealed his conviction of criminal possession of a weapon. The defendant originally faced charges after an officer found a .45 caliber gun in his vehicle’s center console. His case went to trial, and a jury found him…