Public Defender Explains How To Get Your Marijuana Record Expunged
arrow The Kings County Criminal Court and Summons Clerk s Office are located in the Central Courts Building in Brooklyn. Mark Lennihan/AP/Shutterstock
Last month, when New York legalized recreational marijuana, many advocates and lawmakers hailed it as one of the most progressive cannabis laws in the country. That s in part because it automatically clears the criminal records of people with certain marijuana-related offenses.
The decriminalization of marijuana in 2019 allowed for the first time in New York a pathway for expunging any records. The process is still relatively new, and it can be riddled with confusion especially if you are applying for a new job, navigating the federal immigration process or adjusting to the terms of criminal parole.
Celeste Sloman
Attorney General Letitia James is no stranger to a fight. After waging battles with the Trump administration, New York’s top legal officer – and the first woman of color to hold statewide office – is keeping her attention trained on the former president’s questionable real estate ventures, while also taking on Facebook, Google, the New York City Police Department and the National Rifle Association. This year, her office issued a damning report on New York’s undercount of nursing home deaths due to COVID-19, and she appointed two independent attorneys to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a former ally who she might be well positioned to replace at some point in the future.
New Yorkers Get Another Chance To Apply For COVID Rent Relief
arrow People gather for a protest calling on New York to cancel rent outside of Brooklyn housing court August 6th, 2020. JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
After failing to disburse more than half of the federal funding in a COVID-19 rent relief program, New York state has opened a new application window with broader eligibility criteria in order to hand out the remaining $60 million.
With lawmakers and activists fearful that unspent federal dollars would need to be returned, the state agreed to loosen the requirement: Previously, applicants needed to prove they were “rent-burdened” defined as paying more than 30% of their income toward rent before the pandemic. Now, tenants will need to show that they were “rent-burdened” during the months of April through July, and that their pre-pandemic household income was at or below 80% of the Area Median Income to qualify for partial rent paym