BRYANT HAS SERVED 30 YEARS IN PRISON AND BECOMES ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE Perlmutter Center Continues to Seek Bruce Bryant’s Exoneration

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA, December 27, 2022/ EINPresswire.com / -- The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law School commends New York Governor Kathy Hochul for commuting the life sentence of its first client, Bruce Bryant. The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law was actively involved in seeking Mr. Bryant’s clemency, working closely with Steve Zeidman, Professor and Co-Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at CUNY School of Law, who has been representing Bruce in his clemency efforts since 2019 in conjunction with their Second Look Project: Beyond Guilt ( https://www.law.cuny.edu/slp/ ); and Elizabeth Felber, of the Legal Aid Society, who has been representing Bruce in his exoneration efforts before the Conviction Integrity Unit in Queens.

Bruce Bryant is 53 years old and has spent 30 years in prison. He was convicted of murder when he was just 23 years old. He was sentenced 37.5 years to life in prison. Brue Bryant is a remarkable man with strong family ties who has worked tirelessly in his three decades behind bars to help other incarcerated individuals. Mr. Bryant has earned a Bachelor’s and Associate’s Degrees, and among his many accomplishments while incarcerated was the establishment of the Civic Duty Initiative, a program that has raised money for gun buy-backs in order to reduce violence in our communities.

The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice (PCLJ) at Cardozo Law has been representing Bruce since June of 2022, both in connection with his clemency effort and with the re-review of his case by the Queens County DA’s Conviction Integrity Unit. The Center will continue to represent him along with the Legal Aid Society in fighting for his full exoneration before the Queens County CIU.

Josh Dubin, Executive Director of the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law School, said, “I am absolutely thrilled for Bruce. He is the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice’s first client, and to be part of what was a heroic effort by our Deputy Director, Derrick Hamilton and our students is extremely gratifying. Bruce is elated, and I have no doubt that he will rejoin society and continue to make positive contributions in criminal justice reform - just as he has while incarcerated. I want to recognize my co-counsel Steve Zeidman at CUNY School of Law. Steve is an absolute hero and was the driving force behind Bruce’s clemency efforts prior to and during our representation of Bruce.”

“We worked tirelessly to fight for Bruce’s clemency and to present his case before the Queens District Attorney’s office, who was very responsive to our efforts in reviewing Bruce’s case. We will continue to work with DA Melinda Katz during the conviction integrity unit’s ongoing investigation into Bruce’s innocence claims,” said Dubin.

The Perlmutter Center was established through a $15 million philanthropic donation from The Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation. Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter is the Chairman of Marvel Entertainment. It trains lawyers in the use of scientific evidence to address the rampant abuse of “junk science” in contributing to wrongful convictions. It also works to obtain clemency for individuals who were unjustly incarcerated, as well as those who have served long sentences and are worthy of clemency based on their rehabilitation.

According to a statement from Governor Hochul’s office, “Clemency is a powerful tool that can be exercised to advance the interests of justice and fairness, and to recognize efforts made by individuals to improve not only their own lives but the lives of those around them. These grants of clemency serve not only to acknowledge the steps these individuals have taken to rehabilitate themselves, but to remind others that such change is possible and that nobody should be defined by their worst mistake. I am deeply grateful to the Clemency Advisory Panel for their thoughtful work, and I am committed to continuing our efforts to reform the process to best serve New Yorkers.”

Derrick Hamilton, the Deputy Director of the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law, said, “We are thankful for all the support from our partners in the effort to obtain a commutation of Bruce Bryant’s sentence, and his immediate eligibility for parole consideration. We are thankful to the great work of a group of incredible law students from Cardozo Law School - Arisha Andha, Maya Baker, Molly Barth, Jordan Kitzik, Emily R. Lane, Michael Levitan, Simone Lonas, and Yeniliz Peguero. We would also like to recognize the Josh Dubin Fellows at the Shawn Carter Foundation: Sameillia McFarlane, Jasmyn Murray, Joshua Means, Brittney Thurston, Jaelyn Madrey who worked around the clock this summer to assist in investigating Bruce’s case and raise awareness for his clemency efforts.”

“The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law has done an outstanding job in the first months of its operation,” said Melanie Leslie, Dean of Cardozo School of Law. “It is an inspiration to our students to see the impact of their work on the life of their client.”

About the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law
The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo Law is a multifaceted center established through a generous donation from The Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation. The Perlmutters’ philanthropy is focused on one clear and powerful goal: helping others.

The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice has two components: a student field clinic called The Perlmutter Freedom Clinic at Cardozo Law, which focuses on fighting wrongful convictions based on the misuse of scientific evidence and work to obtain clemency for individuals unjustly incarcerated.

Two fierce advocates are leading our efforts. At the helm, we have Executive Director Josh Dubin, one of the preeminent civil rights attorneys and legal strategy consultants in the nation. Serving as Deputy Director is legal strategist and paralegal Derrick Hamilton, who was falsely imprisoned for over 20 years and won his own exoneration while helping fellow inmates with their cases.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-grants-clemency-thirteen-individuals

https://cardozo.yu.edu/PerlmutterCenterforLegalJustice

Contact: Lonnie Soury, Soury Communications, Inc., Lsoury@soury.com, (917) 519-4521

Lonnie Soury
Soury Communications, Inc
+1 917-519-4521
email us here