Update: ‘Green Light Law’ Upheld But New Potential Roadblock Appears

By Stephen Louis

As previously reported in CityLaw, on February 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice sued New York State in U.S. District Court in Albany, seeking a permanent injunction barring further implementation of the State’s “Green Light Law,” based on its provisions that limit federal access to information regarding undocumented driver’s license holders. The state law, enacted in 2019, limited access to records by ICE and similar agencies to those with a … <Read More>


Three Ideas for the Next Mayor to Innovate Around Gig Work

By Mark Chiusano

New York City’s gig economy is staggeringly influential by almost every measure. Delivery bikers make close to 3 million takeout dropoffs a week. Ubers and Lyfts dwarf the 14,000 green and yellow taxis on city streets. Roughly 6% of all workers in the five boroughs rely on gig work as their main income, a number that is likely a significant undercount. Their labors have changed consumption patterns and powered restaurants, small <Read More>


COMPLETE VIDEO: Policy Briefing: Responding to Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness in NYC’s Subways and Other Public Spaces, 9/4/25

On Thursday, September 4, 2025, the Center for New York City and State Law hosted a policy briefing on “Responding to Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness in NYC’s Subways and Other Public Spaces.” Dean and President of New York Law School Anthony W. Crowell gave opening remarks, and the panel was moderated by Ben Max, Executive Editor and Program Director for the Center for New York City and State Law.


Questions Remain as Mayor Adams Advances Partial Plan for ‘Department of Sustainable Delivery’

By Mark Chiusano

The post-Independence Day missive from Mayor Eric Adams had notes of grandeur: the city was announcing a new “Department of Sustainable Delivery.” Funding was on the way. Once again, New York was taking the reins to regulate the nascent gig economy — a timely move, since the field has shaped how New Yorkers shop and experience the city, as companies turned streetscapes into workplaces for tens of thousands of bikers and drivers, <Read More>


DOT Announces Return of Summer Streets for Summer 2025

On July 1, 2025, Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Transportation announced the return of Summer Streets, a program that temporarily creates car-free streets to create more outdoor safe spaces for pedestrians to enjoy. Each session of Summer Streets will run from 7 AM to 3 PM for five consecutive Saturdays between late July and August. This year’s program covers over 22 miles of streets citywide featuring live entertainment, fitness classes, cultural programs, giveaways <Read More>