CPR & Amici Filings - Opposing Police Unions' Request for Preliminary Injunction

On July 28, 2020, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by five New York City police unions, as well as corrections and firefighter unions. The lawsuit seeks to block the City of New York from publishing officer misconduct and discipline information and roll back the repeal of Civil Rights Law § 50-a. The unions sued the City in July after the New York State legislature repealed New York state's notorious police secrecy law (50-a) and the de Blasio administration announced plans to release a searchable NYPD misconduct database.

On Friday, August 14th, CPR filed papers as a proposed intervenor, opposing a preliminary injunction. A dozen amicus briefs -- all opposing an injunction -- were also filed on August 14th. These filings are listed and accessible below.

A federal hearing was held on the preliminary injunction request on August 18th. U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla is expected to rule on the preliminary injunction request this week.

CPR's filing opposing a preliminary injunction

- CPR's Memo of Law Opposing Preliminary Injunction

Declarations in support of CPR's opposition to the preliminary injunction

• Kadiatou Diallo, Mother of Amadou Diallo (killed by NYPD in 1999)
• NYS Senator Julia Salazar
• NYS Assemblyperson Michael Blake
• NYC Councilperson Donovan Richards, Chair of NYC Council Public Safety Committee
• NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams
• Brendan Cox, Retired Police Chief, Albany Police Department
• Andrea Ritchie, Expert on Police Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
• Dr. Delores Jones Brown
• Susan Lerner, Executive Director, Common Cause
• Michael Gennaco

Amicus briefs filed opposing preliminary injunction 

• National civil and human rights organizations: NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Law for Black Lives
• Girls for Gender Equity & Transgender Law Center - Girls, women of color, transgender and gender-nonconforming people - communities that experience disproportionate police sexual and gender-based violence
• Justice Committee - Experience of families of loved ones killed by police and other police violence survivors
• New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, Asian Caucus
• New York City Council Progressive Caucus
• Law Enforcement Action Partnership
• Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press & 31 media organizations
• Good Government Organizations:  Common Cause, Reinvent Albany, Citizens Union, and Beta NYC
• New York Civil Liberties Union
• Legal Aid Society
• NYU Center for Race, Inequality, and the Law
• Former Counsels & Investigators of the Civilian Complaint Review Board