Bridging The Gap

THE GOVERNMENT LAW CENTER (GLC) at Albany  Law School has launched the Improving Interbranch Communication Project to bridge gaps between New York’s Courts and the state’s Executive and Legislative branches.

When courts issue interpretations of statutory and/or  regulatory text the Government Law Center leverages its expertise to inform the governor’s office and legislators  about the interpretations and explain them in a concise,  non-partisan, plain-text, explainer-style memo.

“With this information from the GLC, lawmakers can decide if the language in the statute should be adjusted to ensure it’s being interpreted as it was originally intended,” said Patrick A. Woods ’12, Deputy Director of the Government Law Center.

The creation of the memos is initiated either by Albany Law School students working in the GLC, who review all Appellate Division and Court of Appeals decisions to identify relevant cases, or by reviewing decisions submitted to the GLC by the New York State courts.

Judges interested in submitting new decisions that involve novel issues of statutory or regulatory interpretation and questions about the project can be sent to interbranchcommunication@albanylaw.edu.”