ALBANY – Lacking a Gideon-like mandate that would require government funding for one of his signature issues—civil legal services—Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman has only the power of the pulpit to bolster his annual hat-in-hand approach to the Legislature.
On Tuesday, Lippman began the yearly process of seeking funding to address unmet civil legal needs by holding the first of four hearings aimed at garnering the evidence necessary "to get the legal services funding we need to continue the progress we have made in New York." Later this fall, he will issue a report to the Legislature, outlining a funding request.
