New York Enacts New Human Trafficking Laws
On July 20, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) signed a package of eight bills into law that hope to improve services for human trafficking victims and survivors. “We must do everything in our power to end the scourge of human trafficking and protect thousands of individuals who fall victim to this abhorrent practice in New…
Justice Samuel Alito: A 21st-Century Profile In Courage
In the wake of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—which overturned the Court’s pro-abortion decision in Roe v. Wade (1973)—Christians in New York and across the United States have many reasons for thanksgiving. The demise of Roe has allowed many states to restrict or ban the practice of abortion. The…
COVID Quarantine Mandate Overturned By Trial Court
An oppressive and unnecessary state regulation put forth by the Hochul administration earlier this year has been held unconstitutional in state court. Known as Rule 2.13, the regulation empowered the New York State Health Commissioner to order New Yorkers to be quarantined “‘whenever appropriate to control the spread of a highly contagious communicable disease.’” Rule…
NYC Noncitizen Voting Law Found Unconstitutional
Last December, the New York City Council passed an objectionable bill that would allow non-citizens to vote in local elections. Despite concerns about the law’s constitutionality, neither former New Your City Mayor Bill de Blasio nor current Mayor Eric Adams had the political courage to veto the bill. On June 27, 2022, a state court…
Hochul Demonstrates Allegiance To Leftist Agenda
Since becoming governor of New York last August, Gov. Kathy Hochul has developed a reputation as a relentless advocate of abortion. From invoking the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of abortion rights to participating in a pro-abortion march to including an abortion insurance mandate in the New York State budget to airing pro-abortion campaign…
Biden Again Affirms LGBT Agenda
President Joe Biden’s LGBT extremism seems to know no bounds. On June 15, 2022, President Biden announced a new executive order directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ban federally-funded programs from engaging in efforts to change persons’ sexual orientation or gender identity. According to Politico, the President wishes to create…
Pray For The Justices of The United States Supreme Court
On June 8, 2022, a man armed with a knife and a Glock 17 pistol was taken into custody near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Maryland. Authorities arrested the perpetrator after he allegedly called 911 and stated that he intended to kill Justice Kavanaugh and himself. The perpetrator reportedly told police…
Christians Ought Not To Celebrate Pride
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” On June 1, 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a proclamation celebrating the month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. According to Gov. Hochul, “‘Every New Yorker, regardless of gender and sexual identity or expression deserves a government that recognizes them for who…
Anti-Trafficking Bills Clear Both Houses
Earlier this year, Albany Update noted that the New York State Legislature had made progress on human trafficking legislation. By the time the 2022 state legislative session ended, a total of five bills that promote the national human trafficking hotline had passed both houses of the New York State Legislature. The five bills will provide…
Albany Advancing Racial Equity And Social Justice Agenda
Bill S.3468-B-Kennedy/A.2358-B-Peoples-Stokes provides for the establishment of an Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice within the executive branch of New York government. This bill is deeply misguided and should not become law. The proposed Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (the “Office”) would be charged with a series of far-reaching responsibilities. Among other…
Bill Bans Discrimination On Basis Of Immigration Status
Bill S.6586-A-Liu/A.6328-A-Cruz would make it unlawful in the state of New York to discriminate on the basis of citizenship or immigration status in housing, employment, credit, and places of public accommodation. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms takes no position on the proposal to ban discrimination on the basis of citizenship. However, it should not be…
Equality Amendment Would Enshrine Progressive Agenda In State Constitution
On May 10, 2022, left-wing activists intend to rally in Albany in support of a proposed constitutional amendment known as the Equality Amendment. The event website asserts that “none of us [is] equal until we are all equal – in our lives, in our institutions, and under the law,” and urges readers to “join the…
Court of Appeals Finds Redistricting Maps Unconstitutional
On April 27, 2022, the New York Court of Appeals—the state’s highest court—issued its decision in Harkenrider v. Hochul, the legal challenge to the 2022 redistricting maps drawn by the New York State Legislature. In a rebuke to the Democrat-led legislature, the court found the maps unconstitutional. Every 10 years, after the United States census…
Hochul Budget Advances LGBT Agenda
Isaiah 5:20: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” The 2022-2023 New York State Budget is a setback for the Empire State for a number of reasons. As Albany Update has previously noted, the…
Lt. Gov. Benjamin Arrested For Bribery, Resigns From Office
Yet another high-ranking New York politician has left office after getting in trouble with the law. On April 12, 2022, Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin was arrested in connection with a federal bribery case. Following his arrest, Lt. Gov. Benjamin resigned from office. According to NBC New York, Lt. Gov. Benjamin is charged with fraud, conspiracy,…
Unlicensed Massage Is Latest Attempt To Move Legal Prostitution
In the game of baseball, there are many different ways to score a run. Sometimes, a team scores a run very quickly when one of its players hits a home run. At other times, a team may score as a result of some combination of base hits, walks, stolen bases, and sacrifice bunts. Scoring a…