Holding Court is a column by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. Latwin […]
Author Archives: Joe Latwin
Joe Latwin served as Rye City Court Judge for thirteen years, from January 2010 to December 2022. He began writing his Holding Court column in January 2023. He has served as president of the New York State Association of City Court Judges, representing over 170 full-time and part-time City Court Judges throughout the State.
He is a graduate of Brooklyn College (1973), New York Law School (J.D. 1976), and NYU School of Law (LL.M. 1980). Before taking the bench, Judge Latwin served as an Assistant New York State Attorney General, litigation associate at Proskauer Rose, deputy Village Attorney for the Town/Village of Harrison, Prosecutor for the Village of Port Chester, and Attorney for the Somers Fire District.
He also served on Rye’s Architectural Review Board, Planning Commission, and City Council. He was also Rye’s Deputy Mayor. Judge Latwin is a 40+ year member of the Rye Fire Department, was a member of its Board of Wardens, its Secretary, and Captain of the Fire Police Patrol.
Posted inHolding Court
Judge Latwin on Louisiana, the U.S. Supreme Court and Redistricting (Part Two)
The Supreme Court found that Louisiana’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as it was motivated by racial discrimination.
Posted inHolding Court
Judge Latwin on Elbridge Gerry and the Origins of Gerrymandering
Elbridge Gerry, a Founding Father, signed a bill in 1812 that redrew electoral boundaries in Massachusetts to secure a victory for the Democratic-Republican Party, resulting in the Federalist vote being concentrated in a small number of districts and the Democratic-Republicans being well distributed across many districts, a practice known as Gerrymandering.
Posted inGovernment
Flaws in Petition Process: Judge Latwin Proposes Alternative Method
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]
Posted inGovernment
Judge Latwin Warns: Is New York Becoming Havana on the Hudson?
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]
Posted inGovernment
Judge Latwin on New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act: A Flawed Solution to Terminal Suffering
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]
Posted inGovernment
Judge Latwin: Moonshine or Bubbles?
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]
Posted inGovernment
Judge Latwin: Planning: Panacea or Pandora’s Box – A Paraenesis
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]
Posted inGovernment
Judge Latwin: Rye Residents May Be Violating Zoning Code with Home-Based Businesses
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]
Posted inGovernment
How to Handle a Police Stop: Retired Judge’s Guide to Staying Calm and Legal
Holding Court is a series by retired Rye City Court Judge Joe Latwin. Latwin retired from the court in December 2022 after thirteen years of service to the City. What topics […]