The Latest Breaking News from Laura Taylor Swain

'Mayor for All New Yorkers' Mamdani Visits Rikers for World Cup, Days After Report Called Jail 'Unconstitutional'

Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended a World Cup watch party at Rikers Island, highlighting the contrast between celebration and the jail's unconstitutional conditions as reported by a federal overseer.

International Business Times UK · Jul 16

The Court-Ordered Takeover of Rikers Shows the Crisis in American Prisons and Jails

A federal judge finally acknowledged that New York City won't fix the constitutional crisis at Rikers on its own, but the problem goes far beyond New York City.

Reason · May 14, 2025

Judge strips NYC of full authority over Rikers Island, citing 'unprecedented' violence

A federal judge has ordered an outside official to take over control of much of New York City's jail system after local officials failed to stem high rates of violence and long-standing dysfunction

The Independent UK · May 13, 2025

Federal judge orders mediation to break impasse over Puerto Rico power company debt

A federal judge overseeing a drawn-out debt-restructuring process for Puerto Rico’s power company has ordered all parties to mediation

The Independent UK · Jul 10, 2024

Federal judge to reconsider takeover of New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail

A federal judge will once again consider a court takeover of New York City’s troubled jail system

The Independent UK · Jun 13, 2023

NYC failing to move Rikers Island detainees out of squalid temporary holding cells within 24 hours, lawyers tell judge

NEW YORK — New York City has failed to comply with a federal judge’s order to make sure Rikers Island detainees are moved out of often fetid temporary holding cells into regular jail beds within 24 hours, according to a legal motion filed Wednesday night.

Tribune News Service · Jan 26, 2023

Rikers Island Sees 19th Death This Year After Judge Gives Leaders More Time To Fix Its Messes

Somehow deaths have climbed even though the prison population has dropped.

Reason · Dec 19, 2022

Presumption Against Sealed Motions to Seal

From Doe v. City of N.Y., decided Wednesday by Judge Laura Taylor Swain (S.D.N.Y.): Courts within this Circuit have tended to treat a motion to seal as a judicial document that is entitled to a strong presumption of public access. McGill v. Univ. of Rochester, No. 10-CV-6697, 2013 WL 5951930,…

Reason · Oct 31, 2022

Editorial: End of the line: The city has had its chance to fix Rikers. It has failed

Friday, Federal Monitor Steve Martin will submit his latest report on the situation at the ignominious Rikers Island complex. It will come just over four months after Manhattan Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered the city to put into practice an action plan to address the consistent threat to the…

Tribune News Service · Oct 27, 2022

Court Rejects Idea Theft / "Hot News" Claim by Occasional Fox Guest Against Fox

In Greer v. Fox Corp., decided Wednesday, Judge Laura Taylor Swain (S.D.N.Y.) largely adopted Magistrate Judge Stewart Aaron's report and recommendation from June 2021; here's an excerpt of that report and recommendation, which the District Judge adopted (and which strikes me as quite correct): The following is a summary of…

Reason · Sep 10, 2022