This week, a Judge was none-too-happy with one potential juror who went out of her way to come off as racist and offensive as she possibly could. Juror 799 was disqualified from the death penalty trial of Bonanno crime boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, but Judge Nicholas Garaufis wasn't done with her, and sentenced her to indefinite jury duty. In the end, Garaufis relented on his penalty yesterday, while giving her a stern wagging on his judicial finger: "I hope this experience will be an education for you and the next time you're called for jury duty you'll give honest answers." more ›

Former Bonanno crime-family boss Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano really appreciated it when Judge Nicholas Garaufis lent the well-groomed mobster some dress clothes for trial; he also really appreciated it when Garaufis advised against giving him the death penalty for a 2008 murder conviction. He appreciated it so much, he started writing tons of letters to the Judge. And now, the Judge has demanded he stop writing him. It's like a friendlier version of Cape Fear! more ›

In this city of crazies, lots of people joked that a judge’s ruling to release mental patients from group homes and allow them to live in their own apartments was nothing special. But not Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who calls the decision (cue eye-roll) "insanity." Peyser opines that the move will strengthen “the army of the damned,” leading to more incidents like a 2005 stabbing by an unsupervised mental patient who went off his meds and attacked a baby. She also accuses the judge who made the ruling, Nicholas Garaufis, of a potential conflict of interest. more ›

On Monday a federal judge ruled that the state must begin moving mentally ill New Yorkers out of "warehouse-like" institutions into more normal quarters, but concerned parties are already voicing their objections. "We are ground zero of this grand experiment that the judge has unleashed," City Councilman James Sanders Jr., a representative for Far Rockaway which houses many of the group homes, told the Daily News. "No one knows what this is going to do." A patient at a facility in the area worried that though mentally ill New Yorkers want to "live their lives the way the rest of us do," it might not be possible. "These people don't even know how to shower or shave, let alone shop or cook," said Robert Evans, who plans to move out of his group home. "It won't work out." more ›

For years mentally ill adults have been "warehoused" in overpopulated, for-profit group homes, but no longer. Today Judge Nick Garaufis called for the state to begin clearing out the facilities and allowing residents to go live in apartments of their own. The order applies to about 4,300 New Yorkers who, according to Jennifer Mathis, deputy legal director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, will now be able to "live their lives the way the rest of us do." more ›

The FDNY had some good stats last year, but none relating to diversity. Today, a federal judge ruled that the force’s hiring procedures intentionally discriminate against blacks and Hispanics. He said that for decades people of color have been systematically excluded, and called the practice “a persistent stain on the Fire Department’s record." more ›

Vincent Basciano, the reputed boss of the Bonanno crime family also known as "Vinny Gorgeous," may be on trial for the 2001 murder of a rival, but that doesn't mean he can't be concerned with his appearance. more ›

A federal judge dismissed an eminent domain lawsuit that would have stopped the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn. The lawsuit, brought by Daniel Goldstein of the vocal anti-AY group Develop - Don't Destroy Brooklyn, claimed that the multi-billion dollar project abused eminent domain, by not having much public benefit, only benefit for developer Bruce Ratner. Judge Nicholas Garaufis dismissed the case, writing, "Plaintiffs have not set forth facts supporting a plausible claim of an unconstitutional taking. Nowhere in the amended complaint or their briefs do plaintiffs sufficiently allege any purpose to confer a private benefit." You can read more about the case, Goldstein vs. Pataki, here. more ›

Ronell Wilson, who was found guilty and sentenced to death in January for the 2003 murder of two undercover police officers, was formally sentenced yesterday. The prosecution and defense argued their positions on the sentence once again, and then Wilson, who did not speak during the entire trial, said:

"I would like to say that since there’s no jury here — like the prosecutors had said plenty of times that I had to prove to them — I’d like to say to the families of the victims that I’m sorry, I’m very sorry for the pain that I really caused you. I know it don't mean much and you still look at me as the lowest thing on Earth, but in my heart I tell you that I'm very sorry again... more ›

Convicted cop killer Ronell Wilson angered the judge presiding over his trial when a warden told him Wilson broke the "shatterproof" windows in a prison visiting room. Wilson, who was sentenced to death for the murders of two undercover police detectives and is at the Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting formal sentencing, threw a chair at the windows when he found out a visit from his mother and sister would be "non-contact" (his previous visits had allowed him touch his relatives). There was a four-hour standoff, with a SWAT team waiting, until Wilson gave up. more ›