The Special Litigation Unit (SLU) engages in an active litigation practice to protect the rights of clients of the Criminal Practice, and regularly advises and supports the attorneys of the Criminal Practice on a wide variety of subjects, particularly those that present novel or difficult issues. In addition to the daily advice and support function, SLU produces for the lawyers the weekly Case Summaries, which contain summaries and analysis of recent court decisions. The Case Summaries, which have been published since 1988, are indexed by topic and available online to busy trial attorneys in need of a fast legal research resource.
The Unit’s litigation practice includes both individual and class action litigation designed to remedy systemic problems in the criminal justice system. In the 1990s, SLU litigated the case that created the right to have a judge review a criminal charge within twenty four hours of an arrest. In recent years the SLU has successfully litigated class actions in Federal Court regarding such issues as the rights of people who have their automobiles taken by the City of New York to have a hearing to challenge the impoundments, the right of mentally ill individuals to have their sentences computed correctly by the Department of Correction, and the right of sex offenders to have a fair hearing to accurately determinate their risk to society and their registration and public notification levels.
SLU also files a wide range of litigation to protect the rights of individual clients. For example, SLU has recently litigated on behalf of individuals who sought to have their sentences reduced through Rockefeller Drug Law reform, who have had their automobiles improperly taken by the City, and who had their sentences improperly lengthened by post release supervision.
Legislative advocacy is another important function of the SLU. The Unit has played a crucial role in the enactment of Rockefeller Drug law Reform and it continues to urge the adoption of additional measures that would allow more people to enter treatment programs and be diverted away from prison. SLU has also successfully advocated for measures to enhance the employment opportunities of former offenders by preventing access to sealed criminal records.