Name Laws

Eponymous Legal Statutes

In New York, several statutes are named after people. Generally, these laws are enacted in response to the attention and controversy garnered by violent crimes or new advances in technology. It can be difficult to keep all of these laws in order. Here is a list to help remember these criminal laws which are effective in the state of New York:

Laws Impacting the Judicial Process

Anthony’s Law: Gives docket priority in court of claims for unjust conviction and imprisonment based upon DNA evidence.

Jenna’s Law: New York sentencing law provides first-time violent felony offenders must serve at least six-sevenths of their sentence.

Kathy’s Law: Strengthens restraining orders by allowing judges to order GPS monitoring devices for domestic violence

Alcohol-Related Offenses

Bill Leaf-Brandi Woods Law: Increases penalties for certain vehicular crimes committed by defendant convicted of alcohol- or drug-related driving while intoxicated or impaired in the past ten years.

Leandra’s Law: Makes a DWI an automatic felony if there is someone age 15 or younger inside the vehicle.

Sean’s Law: Authorizes judges to immediately suspend driver licenses and learner permits at arraignment where person under 21 is charged with DWI or DWAI.

Vasean’s Law: Calls for an automatic felony charge if a drunk driver kills someone.

Sexual-Based Offenses

Joan’s Law: Allows life imprisonment without parole for a person convicted of sexually molesting and murdering a child.

Megan’s Law: Implements Sex Offender Registration Act (“SORA”). Conviction of designated offenses requires registration.

Masha’s Law: Provides statutory damages of $150,000 for each violation of federal criminal child pornography statutes

Stephanie’s Law: Establishes criminal penalties for those who use mechanical, digital or electronic devices to take visual images of someone, without their knowledge.

Son of Sam Law: Law designed to keep criminals from profiting from the publicity of their crimes, often by selling their stories to publishers.

Laws Effecting Minors

Kieran’s Law: Parents can ask potential in-home caregivers to submit fingerprints to send to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (“DCJS”) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) for report of criminal convictions and arrests.

Penny’s Law: Allows juveniles convicted of murder to be sentenced as an adults.