Legal community reacts to governor’s address

Protecting against wrongful convictions was among the many topics Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo discussed Wednesday in his annual State of the State address in Albany.

Included is changing the way police conduct interrogations and witness identifications of suspects.

Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman commended the governor for taking a bold step in proposing additional measures to protect against wrongful convictions.

Jonathan Lippman

“Building on the DNA legislation enacted last year, the governor has now proposed specific steps to protect against mistaken identifications and false confessions … Enactment of these additional measures will complete the comprehensive package of wrongful conviction legislation proposed by the court system’s Justice Task Force. I am elated that the governor has announced his support for these vital reforms and I look forward to working with his office and the Legislature …”

— Chief Judge Lippman

Eric Schneiderman

“In the year ahead, New York faces many hurdles, including continued rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy, growing our economy, strengthening our democracy and protecting our communities from gun violence. In [Wedmesday’s] State of the State speech, Governor Cuomo laid out important steps to address these challenges. I look forward to working with the governor and all of our state’s leaders to make New York safer and stronger for all our communities.”

— NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman

Seymour W. James Jr.

“The New York State Bar Association has long supported the audio/visual recording of police interrogations and improving police identification procedures to achieve more accurate eyewitness testimony. We are eager to work with the governor to turn our shared priorities into realities. These commonsense reforms will create a more just and safe society.”

— Seymour W. James Jr., NYSBA president

Louise Slaughter

“Last month, I called on all of our elected officials to work together to end senseless gun violence, and I was glad to see our governor took such a strong stand against assault weapons in today’s speech. I remain committed to addressing gun violence swiftly and comprehensively here in Washington and look forward to working with Governor Cuomo on the issue.”

— U.S. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter