James Murphy, Former Saratoga County Judge and District Attorney, April 24th, 2025
In a wide-ranging conversation about his career, advocacy, criminal justice reform and the current narratives regarding federal judges, former Saratoga County Judge and District Attorney James Murphy joined Power & Politics this week.
Murphy now provides advice and analysis for Behan Communications, a Capital Region PR firm.
"It's been a long career," Murphy says. "It's been 37 years between District Attorney and the judgeship, and so I've dealt with 1000s of cases, 1000s of victims, lots of police agencies, all kinds of cases, and I think it's always the thing that I liked the most about it was that I could help deliver substantial justice to the residents of the County. I could help victims who had been wronged in the DAs office. I could make important decisions as a judge and hopefully be fair and patient, treat the litigants with respect and make the right decision."
Over the course of the conversation, Murphy discusses:
-Domestic Violence justice advocacy
-Discovery Laws
-Bail Reform and "Dangerousness"
-Cases he worked on
-"Politicization" of judges
-New Role, and his retirement
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38:00
Lee Kindlon, Albany County District Attorney takes a deep dive into Discovery, 4/18/2025
Lee Kindlon, Albany County District Attorney, joined Power & Politics this week to take a deep dive into the State's Discovery laws, and their role in the ongoing budget debate at the State Capitol.
Alongside Governor Kathy Hochul and the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, Kindlon has been stumping for changes to the Discovery laws, which were reformed in 2019.
Hochul has been steadfast in making changes to those laws, which she says is leading to an increase in case dismissals, especially in New York City. More progressive members of the State Senate and Assembly have pushed back, with advocates saying the 2019 reforms were a step forward towards creating a level playing field for victims and those charged.
Kindlon was just elected to the post of Albany County District Attorney. Prior to this role, he was a longtime defense attorney in the Capital Region.
"I think I have a unique voice to bring to the discussion. Obviously, the first 18 years of my professional career in Albany I spent as a hard charging, fire breathing defense attorney, which gives me certain perspective, and now I'm the District Attorney in Albany County in charge of making sure that all of the discovery gets from law enforcement, various investigating agencies, to the defendants and their attorneys. So, you know, I want to make sure that my voice is heard at the table during the discussions, and so everybody gets a full picture of what's going on."
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30:11
Blair Horner, Senior Policy Advisor at NYPIRG April 10, 2025
As part of the wide-ranging conversation, Horner discussed the impact of late budgets on public perception, the role of policy initiatives in the budget and how Governor Hochul's budget approach is shaping New York's legislative process.
They also discussed some of the initiatives Horner has advocated over the years, including the impact of Donald Trump's Executive Order on the Climate Change Superfund Act. Horner also spoke about the Bottle Bill, electric lawn equipment, and the evolution of the legislature during his decades at the State Capitol.
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34:31
Rep. Mike Lawler (R) on Trump economic policies, New York's budget, Elise Stefanik and tariffs, April 4th, 2025
nce the 2025 legislative session began, New York's top lawmakers have often had a common theme when discussing budgeting, and that's calling on New York's Republican Congressional delegation to "protect New Yorkers" from federal budget cuts. Mike Lawler addresses those officials, and those issues, here.
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21:37
Bonus: Blake Gendebien reacts to withdrawal of Rep. Stefanik's UN nomination, March 28, 2025
Elise Stefanik's nomination as the United States United Nations Ambassador was pulled on Thursday, but NY-21 hopeful on the Democratic side Blake Gendebien says he's committed to the long haul. While the Republican side hadn't chosen a candidate for the potential special election, Democrats chose Gendebien as their candidate in early February.
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A podcast that brings you inside the issues impacting our communities. Every week, Tom Eschen sits down with local leaders and power brokers for a frank, sometimes blunt, conversation about the current political environment and how their decisions and stances shape and alter all of our lives. Whether it’s your tax bill, public safety, schools, immigration, or healthcare – politics affects every day and every aspect of your life. From the corridors of power to the heart of the debate, this podcast aims to ask the tough questions you want answered – to hold leaders accountable, to cut through the rhetoric and the canned responses. It’s a conversation that really matters.
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