NYCLU Applauds the End of Bloomberg Policing: Ruling Denies City Effort to Vacate Stop-and-Frisk Decisions

The leadership of the New York Civil Liberties Union applauded the ruling released today by the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, denying New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s motion to vacate the stop-and-frisk rulings of Judge Shira Sheindlin.

 “Stop-and-frisk numbers are going down, and we expect them to continue going down,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “Today’s ruling will help the Police Department get on track and change the way it utilizes stop-and-frisk, limiting street stops to suspicious behavior only, as the law requires.”

The NYCLU is lead counsel in Ligon v. City of New York, which challenges trespass stops at residential buildings enrolled in the NYPD’s Trespass Affidavit Program. The other case affected by today’s ruling is Floyd v. City of New York, which the Court of Appeals is hearing at the same time.

“This marks the end of the Bloomberg administration’s unseemly effort to short-circuit the appeals process and undo the district court’s rulings before Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio takes office,” said Christopher Dunn, NYCLU’s associate legal director and lead counsel in Ligon.  “Hopefully, the legal theatrics will now end and we can all go back to the important task of reforming stop-and-frisk.”

For the full text of today’s ruling, click here.