In the spring, real inroads were made for quipping Judges everywhere, when one Harry Stone-wannabe poked giant holes in a suspects defense with the sheer force of his jokes. But now a newly-banned upstate Judge may have set back quipping Judges centuries, thanks to an embarassing series of encounters with one young woman with a turtle-emblazoned shirt. more ›

After poring over NY State data, the NY Times suggests that "courtrooms are now seeing the delayed result of the country’s economic collapse... New York’s judges are wading into these types of cases by the tens of thousands, according to the new statistics, cases involving not only bad debts and soured deals, but also filings that are indirect but still jarring measures of economic stresses, like charges of violence in families torn apart by lost jobs and homes in jeopardy." Chief judge Jonathan Lippman said, "Society’s problems come to us. We are the emergency room for society.” And another judge, who has seen many credit cases, said of the future, "I would describe it as a train wreck and I think it’s going to get worse for the next couple of years.” more ›

A 16-year-old Staten Island girl faces up to a year in jail for sending Myspace friend requests to three people. Melissa Fernino is charged with second-degree criminal contempt, a misdemeanor, because she violated a Family Court order of protection that barred her from contacting a 43-year-old woman and her two adolescent daughters. more ›

Cops have a suspect in the shooting of orthodontist dad Daniel Malakov and released a sketch of his playground shooter. Malakov was killed by a gunman who shot him at point blank range with a pistol; the shooting left a handmade silencer fashioned from a bleach bottle wrapped in duct tape. The killing is believed to be related to a bitter custody dispute between Malakov and his ex-wife Mazoltuv Borukhova. Because the murder took place... more ›

The custody battle over Michelle Malakov, a 4-year-old who witnessed her father being shot to death at a Queens playground, continued in Queens Family Court. And the testimony of State Senator Diane Savino underlined how the dispute between the slain man's family and his ex-wife has gone almost full-tilt crazy. Queens dentist Daniel Malakov had been awarded temporary custody of his daughter for about a week. On October 28, he was dropping her off to... more ›

The Newark police arrested a third suspect in the murders of three young residents. The third suspect is 15 years old, and he will be arraigned in Family Court on charges of murder, felony murder, attempted murder and other counts, according to the Star-Ledger. He is the third suspect in custody; another 15-year-old is was arrested on Thursday and as was 28-year-old Jose Lachira Carranza, who pleaded not guilty to the crimes. The police are still looking for two other suspects. more ›

This week The Observer plays the role of that guy at the movie theater by pointing out inaccuracies in a film. This time it's a New York location that's off in the new Bourne movie - which was filming here back in February of this year. (Skip the blockquote if you don't want to know any details about the movie.) more ›

Yesterday, former NJ governor James McGreevey and his ex-wife Dina Matos McGreevey met in family court to hash out details of their bitter divorce. The McGreeveys accused each other of being unfit guardians for their 5-year-old daughter Jacqueline, and Family Court judge Karen Cassidy basically shamed them in court yesterday. She told them to use "common sense" and not expose the child to "non-age-appropriate activities."

I know this is a little bit vague. But it's obviously a fluid situation, and I ask that you act in the best interest of your child in mind... more ›

Judge Rhea G. Friedman of Queens Family Court found probable cause for the city to charge the boy with third-degree assault with intent. more ›

Yesterday, Victor Han, a 35-year-old Staten Island man, pleaded guilty to child endangerment at a Rockland County court. He also admitted that he knew his wife was thinking about suicide when he got out of the car and that she might put their children at danger. more ›

It was one year ago yesterday that 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown, previously starved and beaten, was murdered in Bed-Stuy - her stepfather and mother are currently charged with her death. On this grim anniversary, city officials and child advocates implored the government to increase resources in keeping with an increase in child abuse reports over the past year. Specifically, officials are requesting an increase in the number of Family Court judges and maintaining a healthy budget for protective programs. The NYC Family Court says that the number of neglect reports increased 163% last year while the number of reports of abuse went up by 63%. Although its important to remember that this is an increase in the number of cases reported and not necessarily an increase in the absolute number of cases. The number of judges, on the other hand, has held steady at 41 since 1991 leading to long wait lists for hearings, some lasting up to a month. more ›

involved with the family of now brain-damaged 4 month old Preston Hertzog. Authorities suspect Preston is the victim of shaken baby syndrome; the baby remains in a hospital, being kept alive by a respirator. In 2000, Antonio Patterson and Tamirra Hertzog's 2 month old baby Mia died; the ACS put their other children into temporary foster care during the investigation which found that Mia died of blunt force trauma. Even though her skull was cracked in three places and her death ruled a homicide, there was not enough evidence to charge Patterson and Hertzog. more ›

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The city is reeling over the death of 11 year old Queen Washington, at the hands of her 9 year old friend, in East New York. The two godsisters had been arguing over a ball, and when Washington would not stop hitting her friend, the 9 year old took a steak knife from the kitchen and stabbed Washington in the chest. Washington was staying with the 9 year old's family, but the mother had stepped away to borrow a brush. The 9 year old is being held on manslaughter charges, and her case will go to family court because of her age. The Family Court tells the NY Times, "We're not sure what we're going to do yet. We are going to consult with some mental health experts and child abuse experts." more ›

A Family Court lawyer in the Bronx was suspended for six months because of his crude remarks. The Daily News says that 67 year-old Robert Kahn had a "peppermint potty mouth":

The lawyer, Robert Kahn, admitted that "he frequently consumed peppermint-ball candies in the courthouse and, when offering candies to adversarial female staff attorneys, consistently made sexually offensive comments," a state Appellate Division ruling released yesterday says. more ›