Mayor Eric Adams “violated” the law when he blocked the City Council’s ban on solitary confinement in Big Apple prisons, a Manhattan judge ruled Monday.
“Mayor Adams acted beyond the scope of his emergency powers,” wrote Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Jeffery H. Pearlman in his decision on Monday.
“He cannot suspend the law because he disapproves of its impact.”
The ruling paves the way for a council law — passed in late 2023 — banning solitary confinement to finally take effect.
Days before it was set to begin, Adams signed an emergency order blocking it.
Hizzoner was sued in December by the City Council and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who argued his order was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Pearlman eviscerated Adams for abusing his emergency powers, stating that they should only be reserved for emergency scenarios.
In a democracy, Pearlman wrote, a mayor’s veto powers are the “single tool” to block laws they don’t like.
But when the law passed with a veto-proof majority, Adams lacked the ability to stop it.
“By declaring a state of emergency and issuing emergency orders, he violated that process,” Pearlman said.
Local Law 42 bans punitive segregation in jails — including at the notorious Rikers Island — beyond a four-hour “de-escalation” period.
It also changes the way jailers transport inmates by axing the practice of keeping them in handcuffs and leg irons while on buses or in other vehicles.
Pearlman did give Adams credit for noting concerns with the law, which were raised by a federally appointed monitor selected to oversee Rikers.
But he also noted that the mayor should have appealed to the federal judge presiding over the monitor who has “control over whether the law could actually be implemented” — instead of abusing his emergency powers.
Council Speaker Adrianne Adams hailed the ruling and demanded the mayor’s administration bring the city into compliance.
“The mayor must follow the law, just like every New Yorker, and cannot abuse the powers of the office.” she said. “Solitary confinement has been proven to cause physical, psychological, and emotional harm, making jails and our city less safe.”
City Hall spokesperson Liz Garcia said the law “creates a new definition of solitary confinement” and will lead to a “public safety emergency in our jails.”
Garcia added that solitary confinement hasn’t been used in city jails since 2019.
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