On July 2, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed five members of the NYU Law community to a newly created Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. The commission, which is formed under the Moreland Act, will investigate “systemic public corruption and the appearance of such corruption in state government, political campaigns, and elections in New York State,” and will include among its members Nancy Hoppock, executive director of NYU Law’s Center on the Administration of Criminal Law; Bronx County District Attorney Robert Johnson ’75; Betty Weinberg Ellerin ’52, senior counsel at Alston and Bird; and Peter Zimroth, partner at Arnold & Porter and former NYU Law professor. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (LL.M. ’74) has also been named as a special advisor to the committee.
“We must root out corruption in politics and government,” Governor Cuomo said in a press release. “Since the Legislature has failed to act, today I am formally empanelling a Commission to Investigate Public Corruption pursuant to the Moreland Act and Section 63(8) of the Executive Law that will convene the best minds in law enforcement and public policy from across New York to address weaknesses in the State’s public corruption, election and campaign finance laws, generate transparency and accountability, and restore the public trust.”
“New Yorkers want real reform, and expect and deserve the officials they put in office to be working to serve the public interest, not their own,” said Attorney General Schneiderman in the press release. “This commission will be able to conduct a top to bottom investigation of New York State’s government, and move us forward to repair our broken political process, strengthen our representative democracy and give New Yorkers the quality of leadership they deserve.”
The Commission to Investigate Public Corruption will release its initial findings and recommendations by December 1, 2013.
Posted on July 10, 2013