NY Appellate Court Affirms Denial of Area Variances Based on Neighborhood Character and Because the Requested Variances were Substantial

This post was authored by Amy Lavine, Esq.

The petitioner had requested variances from several different zoning requirements, including the regulations for lot area, lot frontage, front yard setbacks, rear yard setbacks, and minimum and total side yard setbacks, which it needed so that it could build a single faming home. The board of zoning appeals (BZA) denied its request for area variances, however, and the Second Department confirmed the BZA’s denial on appeal. As the court explained, there was sufficient evidence to support the BZA’s determination that there would be an undesirable impact on the character of the neighborhood

Police beat Tire Nichols for three minutes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — An attorney for the family of a Black man who died at a hospital three days after a confrontation with police during a traffic stop said Monday that video of the encounter shows it was “violent” and “troublesome on every level.”

Attorney Ben Crump said during a news conference that the footage of Tire Nichols’ Jan. 7 arrest “is appalling. It is deplorable. It is heinous.”

Crump, who viewed the video along with Nichols’ family and their other lawyers earlier Monday, said it reminded them of the infamous video of the Los Angeles police beating of

Meulemans – Spring 2022 – MJEAL

EV Tax Credits and the Shift Towards Electrification

Kate Meulemans


As Americans begin to shift toward cleaner energy, the demand for electric vehicles has skyrocketed, but not without a similar spike in the political attitude surrounding electric cars. Switching from gas to electric cars is no longer just a fad among progressive elites and is in fact becoming embedded into the mainstream vernacular. But even so, buying a new car solely for fuel efficiency is not something that most people are financially stable enough to do. In this respect, it is important not only to prioritize a political push that

Devin Willock’s family to discuss the news conference after the crash

The news conference is expected to be held Thursday at 2 pm in Athens.

ATHENS, Ga. — The family and attorneys for the University of Georgia football player killed in a crash earlier this week are expected to hold a news conference Thursday. According to a news release, the lawyers plan to discuss the accident investigation and the legal actions that Devin Willock’s family is taking.

The family will also express their gratitude for the community support they’ve received in the wake of Willock’s death.

The news conference will be held Thursday at 2 pm in Athens at the Clerk

Zhang – Spring 2022 – MJEAL

It’s Time for a Carbon Tax

Andrew Zhang


Most Americans are worried about global warming.[1] Unfortunately, our actions do not reflect that worry. In 2019, 6,558 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (the total global warming potential of all greenhouse gases adjusted to the potential of carbon dioxide) were emitted into the atmosphere from the United States, representing a two percent increase from 1990.[2] As a result, emissions have begun to exceed the capacity of natural processes that absorb carbon dioxide.[3] Largely due to human activity, the climate has warmed by 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880.[4]

A carbon tax is