In N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Beach, 818 F. App’x 99 (2d Cir. 2020), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a decision and order issued by United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Beach, 354 F. Supp. 3d 143 (N.D.N.Y 2018) (Sannes, J.). Judge Sannes granted defendants’ motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, rejecting plaintiffs’ Second Amendment challenge to New York’s requirement that an applicant for a license to carry a concealed handgun outside of the home show that “proper cause exists for the issuance thereof.” N.Y. Penal Law § 400.00(2)(f).

The Honorable Wendy Kinsella is the newest judge in the Northern District of New York, having been appointed a Bankruptcy Judge, in June 2021, by Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

We were so happy to see those of you who attended our Social Hours in Syracuse, Albany, and Utica. All three Happy Hours were very well attended, and everyone was happy to see each other and socialize again. While we have many upcoming events this fall, our next big get-together will be our Annual Meeting and Dinner on December 9, 2021, at the Craftsman Wood Grille & Tap House in Fayetteville. We are hoping to see many of you there, especially since we were unable to have an Annual Dinner last year.

By Clerk of the Court John Domurad

As we enter our 18th month of pandemic living, I thought it might be helpful to provide a quick update on the Court’s current COVID-19 policies and several of the initiatives we are undertaking to capture the lessons learned during this difficult period.

Annual Golf Event at Bellevue County Club in Syracuse; to be accompanied by a CLE on the topic of “Alston vs NCAA,” concerning the compensation of collegiate athletes

Zoom CLE on Representing Veteran Clients in CAVC: Tips on Advocacy, featuring the Honorable Grant C. Jaquith, Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC)

Zoom CLE organized under the POWER Act - a collaboration between the WDNY and NDNY Federal Courts. With presentations by an array of speakers discussing intimate partner violence and technology-facilitated abuse, this program is designed to encourage lawyers to provide pro bono services to survivors and victims of such violence

Supreme Court CLE featuring keynote speaker David G. Savage of the Los Angeles Times and a panel discussion; both in person and to be live streamed

CLE on Motions to Dismiss Under Federal Civil Rule 12

December 9

Annual Dinner, FCBA Meeting and CLE, in Syracuse

The FCBA has again awarded $4,500 in prize money to entrants of its Annual Constitution Contest, co-sponsored by the U.S. District Court.

All entries were required to address the origin of some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, and fall into one of three categories: (1) essays, which had to be typed, between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length, and be based exclusively on primary sources that were cited in a recognized system of citation; (2) artistic works, consisting of (a) poems or short stories (which had to be typed and between 250 and 2,000 words in length) or (b) graphic art (which had to be on one piece of material); and (3) video performances, which had to be shorter than 10 minutes in duration, be from memory, and be posted on JotForm.com, Instagram Reels, TikTok or YouTube.

Have a suggestion for our next newsletter? Please contact us with your suggestion at schilders@ndnyfcba.org. Thanks!