Summer Plans? Learn to Court Watch!

Dear Court Watch Community,

In the first half of 2026, our watchers have continued to show up to courtrooms across NYC to show judges and prosecutors that the community is watching them in support of our neighbors. We are excited to announce our summer training series -- please join us in this important work! On Tuesday, July 14th, we are hosting a virtual Intro to Court Watch training from 7:30-9 p.m. This is the first session of our two-part CWNYC training series, covering a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why criminal court watching is important and how you can get involved! You can sign up here. If you’ve already taken our training, please consider forwarding this to a friend and sharing our post on Instagram!

So far in 2026, we have also continued to engage in advocacy for our communities:

  • A neighbor gave birth in court while Judge Devin Robinson and court personnel watched. Instead of being offered empathy, care, or privacy, our neighbor had to endure callousness and gawking as she underwent labor on the courtroom bench while still shackled. You can see our post about the event here, and read more about it in Hell Gate

  • Hell Gate also released an investigation into New York City judges, including how people become judges, the corruption around the selection and profiles of individual judges (including some who we are actively watching). Some of our court watchers are quoted in the investigation – please check it out!

  • We were also featured in a Lux Magazine article. The article focuses on immigration courts (which we do not watch in), but includes some great general information about the history and impact of court watching and a quote from our own S.W.!

  • We signed on to a response to Mayor Mamdani’s executive budget, which proposes 580 new NYPD officers but no major investments in community care against a backdrop of aggressive broken windows policing. The letter demanded no new NYPD hires, no more broken windows policing and encampment sweeps, and more investments in the things that really make us safe: housing, healthcare, preventative care, and other social services.

  • Finally, we have started an education campaign about our work and the NYC courts on social media! Check out and share our first posts: What is Court Watching and Courts in NYC

In solidarity,

Court Watch NYC