Unable to find lucrative lawyer work, several ingenious graduates of the Brooklyn Law School have simply decided to sue the law school. The Daily News reports that Jesse Strauss, a 2003 Brooklyn Law grad, is representing the four graduates in a lawsuit that accuses the school of misleading them into thinking their law degree would be a guaranteed entrée into the bourgeoisie. more ›

The NYPD made more than 50,680 arrests for low-level marijuana offenses in 2011, once again making low-level pot possession the number one cause of arrest in NYC. 2011 was the second-highest period for marijuana arrests in New York City history, and this despite NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly specifically ordering officers to stop arresting people who bring small quantities of marijuana into open view during a stop-and-frisk. In a September memo, Kelly told officers, "A crime will not be charged to an individual who is requested or compelled to engage in the behavior that results in the public display of marijuana." Unfortunately, most hippies were too stoned to read all the way the bottom of the memo, where Kelly included a photo of himself winking slyly. more ›

Is it legal to sell a haunted home in New York without telling the buyer about the ghosts? It's sort of unclear, but most states require sellers to fill out a form disclosing what they know about the property. According to Mental Floss this is "a relatively recent reverse of the older 'buyer beware' norm in real estate and lets buyers know ahead of time of any major problems with their dream home." But not everyone is disclosing when it comes to ghosts. For example, there was a famous case that went all the way to the State Supreme Court, after a couple found out they purchased a haunted mansion in Nyack, NY. more ›

To be courteous, they put their tops back on, but the police remained confused and "spent some time on their walkie-talkies, conferring with their superiors," only to find out that the topless lasses were telling the truth. more ›

There's a new New York State education law that's now in effect, and it calls back the frog-freeing scene from E.T. (watch below!). Patrick Kwan at the Humane Society of the U.S. tells us that schools must now notify students of their right to refuse to dissect animals without being penalized. The HSUS and the Humane Society of New York are making sure that schools now abide by the new provision in the state’s humane education law. more ›

When a New Jersey court ruled last week that eyewitness testimony would be easier to challenge from now on, it was a splash in the water of criminal law that is now sending ripples out to police departments across the country. The bottom line: Police lineups — and the way they are conducted — are unreliable and must be changed. more ›

It's always a gas when you try to explain the law to an ignorant cop writing you a ticket—it's like trying to explain to Paula Deen that butter is a condiment and not actually food. The NYPD's cyclist fetish has intensified to such a degree that cops are not even bothering to write tickets for things that are even technically illegal (like blowing through a red light in the park). Here is the infuriating story of one David Curtis Lettier, an Air Force veteran who was pulled over on West 127th Street while riding his bike to class today: more ›

Hey all you cops, with your uniforms and your billy clubs and your fancy tasers: you like to go out for a drink after your shift, have a little taste, we get that. Sometimes you bring your gun with you. Well, you're officially on notice: those days of getting plastered and crawling across the bar floor shooting at the mice and the dust are numbered, thanks to a new bill that won't allow you to drink and carry a weapon. more ›

On July 17th artist Julie Torres was taken in by Brooklyn's Finest for painting on her own paper, that was taped up at North 11th Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Plainclothes cops approached her on that afternoon and arrested her for graffiti, despite the fact she was painting a watercolor on her own store-bought paper that was only temporarily taped to a wall. The entire story is over at Hyperallergic, where they note that as Torres was being taken away by the cops, she asked if she could take her paintings with her because they were "her livelihood. She says the undercover cops started to laugh at her. 'You sell these, these are art? You’re a funny girl.'” more ›

In an effort to drive up public awareness for "Elle's Law", a new driving law giving harsher punishments to drivers who hit pedestrians while driving recklessly, the state is unveiling an ad campaign with catchy slogans like “Reckless Driving Wrecks Lives,” “Children Break… When Drivers Don’t,” and “She Almost Died For A Parking Space." more ›

When it comes to fines, the Prospect Park Enforcement Patrol officers are slack on summonsing litterbugs, but have no problem ticketing an unleashed pup. And now according to the Brooklyn Paper, they turn a blind eye to law-breaking fishermen as well. more ›

As mentioned in our newsletter earlier this week, Monday was a big day for the pedicab industry in New York. That night an event was held aimed towards raising morale and funds for the legal battle to protect pedicabs and pedicab freedoms. Specifically, the drivers want to be allowed to cross the city's bridges, at least when their vehicles are empty. However, that same day Judge James Plotkin said that the city regulation banning pedicabs from being on a bridge extends to a driver "pedaling, pushing or coasting" an empty vehicle. more ›

Did you know it's illegal to pick up discarded items on the sidewalk if you're driving a vehicle at the time? Paul Lawrence was recently fined $2,000 for picking up an air conditioner on a sidewalk in Middle Village, Queens—turns out that even though he was told he could take it from a woman at the building, the item was officially city property once it was set on the ground. more ›

It seemed as though New Jersey was thisclose to becoming just a little bit more naked, with a vote on allowing a portion of Asbury Park to become a topless beach happening last night. But the prudes win again! According to WCBS, city leaders found an ordinance in place that prohibits public exposure; mayor Ed Johnson says he doesn't plan to change the ordinance to allow nudity, but may update it for other reasons (the same law also prohibits bathing suits on the boardwalk!). more ›

It's been over a decade since the National Marine Fisheries Service prohibited commercial fishing of the great white shark and established a catch-and-release policy for recreational fisherman. The species—which has terrified beach-goers and anyone on a banana boat since 1975—is considered threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. more ›

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay out here, says Assemblywoman Joan Millman, who quietly introduced a bill last month that would amend the alcoholic beverage control law to require bars with roofs and backyards to corral everyone inside at 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends. Once inside, the patrons would be required to read quietly, work on their needlepoint, or just think about what they've done. more ›

A proposed state law that would require landlords to disclose bedbug history dating back five years has been amended to just one year. Landlords had objected that a five-year disclosure period would unfairly penalize property owners, by scaring off prospective tenants even if the landlords had successfully eradicated the bugs. The modified bill also no longer requires landlords to disclose specific infested apartments beyond the one under consideration by a potential renter. (Landlords would still have to disclose infestations in the building, just not their specific location.) Also missing from the bill [pdf] is any language requiring new tenants moving in from disclosing their bed bug history. One bedbug expert tells Brick Underground that in New Jersey "there are one or two buildings that have their own heat treatment chambers which incoming residents must use." more ›

There ought to be a law requiring landlords to inform prospective tenants that they may be moving into an apartment invested with blood sucking parasites—and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal agrees. She's pushing legislation that would "grant prospective tenants and homeowners the right to a record of any bedbug infestation history within the property in question." Which would be appreciated, because bedbugs are appallingly resilient. Some species can live up to a year between feedings if necessary, and just when you think you've gotten rid of them, they paratroop down onto your bed from the ceiling for a refill. more ›

For years the city needed permission from property owners in order to clean up graffiti, but as of April 7th there's a new law in town. Now the Department of Sanitation's taxpayer-funded Graffiti Free NYC program doesn't need to go through a long waiver-signing process before going to work on what some see as nothing more than illegal eyesores. South Bronx graff-watchdog Sidney Flores told the Daily News, "The faster they get the graffiti, the better. We need to take our streets back." more ›

Under New York Law, third-time felons have faced a minimum of 15 years to life in prison. But that law was judged unconstitutional by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, with Judge Ralph Winter writing that it violates the Sixth Amendment guarantee of trial by jury. The Post reports that the unanimous decision in Besser vs. Walsh could mean four criminals who challenged their life sentences may see them reduced. more ›

Following an eight year battle, yesterday the city won a ruling that will strengthen its ability to keep adult video, theater and bookstores in check. Around 125 establishments catering to the triple-X set may be forced to close if they can't go legit. more ›

Today the Times notices a little known and seldom enforced law that prohibits more than three unrelated people from living in an apartment or a house in NYC. Chances are that includes you and pretty much everyone you know, except maybe those ex-roommates who've broken loose and moved in with their significant others. (They'll be back!) So why would a city with such obscenely high rents try to deprive residents of an all-too-common necessity: non-familial cohabitation? more ›

President Obama put his signature on health care reform today, saying, "The bill I am signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see.... We are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. We are not a nation that falls prey to doubt or mistrust. We don't fall prey to fear. We are not a nation that does what's easy. It's not who we are. It's not how we got here. We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities." more ›

Like jaywalking on city streets, it seems that the anti-bird feeding rules in city parks aren't enforced. According to the NY Post, the people who are supposed to enforce park rules only gave out five $50 tickets last year for bird feeding... out of 18,876 summonses and violations issued in total. And the Parks Department allegedly told the paper, "It's OK to feed the pigeons as long as there are no signs saying you can't." more ›

The Senate might have overstepped its bounds and broken the law when it voted to expel embattled state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, according to insiders and the disgraced Queens Democrat. After being acquitted on felony charges but convicted of misdemeanor assault charges for slashing his girlfriend in the face, the former cop has vowed to fight the ruling—and he might turn out winning. more ›

The era of cabbies loudly yammering on their cell phones should officially end tomorrow, with the enforcement of the TLC's new penalties beginning for any driver caught using electronic devices. Any driver not legally parked and found using any electronic device—iPods, cellphones, satellite radios and GPS devices—will be fined $200 and be sent to a "rules refresher" course. A second infraction means a suspended license, and a third gets it revoked. So what will this mean for passengers? more ›

For hundreds of transgender people trying to establish new identities, Manhattan courts have played a crucial role. Nearly 400 transgender people have sought and been granted name changes either from male to female, female to male or ambiguous, making New York a name change capital of the country. They've enlisted the help of city advocates who specialize in the emerging field of transgender law—now the network is almost 200 lawyers strong. more ›

Former New Jersey Governor John Corzine's hand must be cramped—on his last day in office he signed 54 bills into law, including one to legalize medical marijuana. And though he's letting state residents with chronic illnesses toke up, he also wants to discourage the munchies. Yesterday he followed New York's lead in making calorie postings mandatory at fast-food restaurants. more ›