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Judge: Transit Authority Must Open "Secret" Courts to Public
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 29, 2009
Modified Dec 29, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 29, 2009
Modified Dec 29, 2009
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If you've ever tried to fight a ticket handed to you by a cop in the subway system, you'll be familiar with the "hearings" held by the NYC Transit Adjudication Bureau (TAB), during which you waste half your day in Brooklyn waiting to plead your case before a bored bureaucrat in a small room with a tape recorder. These typically anticlimactic hearings are closed to the public, unless the accused consents to an observer’s presence. Naturally, the NYCLU opposes these closed doors, because they "deprive the public of information about the fairness of the hearing process and accused transit riders of an understanding of the adjudication process."
In a ruling released today, Judge Richard J. Sullivan declared the TAB access policy unconstitutional and issued a preliminary injunction against its further enforcement. "This ruling unlocks the doors that hid from public view tens of thousands of hearings each year," said Christopher Dunn, NYCLU associate legal director and lead counsel in the case. "Moving forward, the NYCLU will monitor these hearings so we can make sure they are conducted fairly and so we track NYPD enforcement activity in the transit system."
According to data obtained by the NYCLU, the TAB levies guilty judgments in more than 83 percent of contested cases. Out of 23,202 summonses that transit riders challenged in 2006, the TAB upheld 19,424 of them. One of those subway offenders who beat the rap was pug owner Chrissie Brodigan, seen here, who ultimately saw her citations for carrying her sick dog through the subway dismissed.
Tagged
federal court
lawsuit
MTA
nyc
nyclu
ruling
transit adjucation bureau
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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