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Judge Vacates Adams’ Emergency Orders, Reinstates Solitary Confinement Ban

The ruling bars new emergency orders to suspend Local Law 42, restoring the City Council’s authority over jail policy.

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A state Supreme Court judge has ruled Mayor Adams broke the law when he refused to implement parts of a law restricting solitary confinement in jails like Rikers Island (inset). (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News; Barry Williams for New York Daily News)
The entrance to Rikers Island.
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Overview

  • Justice Jeffrey Pearlman ruled that Mayor Eric Adams unlawfully used emergency powers to stall Local Law 42 and ordered all existing orders vacated.
  • Local Law 42, passed in December 2023 and upheld by the City Council’s veto override in January 2024, now takes effect by reinstating strict limits on solitary confinement.
  • Adams first invoked Emergency Executive Order 624 in July 2024, citing public safety concerns to suspend the law’s restrictions on restrictive housing and restraints.
  • The City Council’s December Article 78 lawsuit argued the mayor’s repeated five-day extensions of his emergency orders bypassed the democratic veto‐override process.
  • The Adams administration is reviewing its legal options, and the city remains under federal monitor oversight for jail safety and oversight concerns.