Government Law Center at Albany Law School

05/21/2026

The New York State budget process is moving forward as lawmakers approved portions of the state budget on Wednesday.

ICYMI: This year's Warren M. Anderson Legislative Series hosted by the GLC highlighted legal and policy issues at the center of budget negotiations, including school funding, transportation law and policy, childcare affordability, and maintaining New York's healthcare system in the face of federal uncertainty. Learn more and watch recordings here: https://bit.ly/AndersonGLC

05/12/2026

Last month, the Government Law Center at Albany Law School hosted a delegation of elected officials from Pakistan in collaboration with The International Center of the Capital Region. The group visited the Capital Region during their participation in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.

The delegation included:
• Nadia Khar — Member, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, and Parliamentary Secretary, Agriculture Department
• Usama Leghari — Member, Provincial Assembly of Punjab
• Ume Kalsoom — Member, Provincial Assembly of Balochistan

The delegation met with several members of the Albany Law School community, including:
• President and Dean Cinnamon Carlarne
• Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jeff Schanz
• Professor Ava Ayers
• Professor Rose Mary Bailly
• Professor Bob Batson ’75, and
• President of the International Law Society Heesoo Ji ’26

The group was joined by ICCR volunteers and Albany Law alumni Michael O'Brien ’75 and Al Salinero ’85.

Topics of discussion included international environmental law, as well as administrative law, the legislative process, and the judicial system in the United States, New York State, and Pakistan.

04/21/2026

Join the Government Law Center at Albany Law School and colleagues for The New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice 2026 Law School Conference:

Lawyering in Complex Times: Access to Justice and the Rule of Law as Foundations of Professional Identity
April 22, 2026
1:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Conference
4:20 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Debrief Session
Remote via Zoom

This virtual conference will examine leadership, access to justice, and the rule of law through the lens of professional identity formation. The conference will bring together New York and national thought leaders and representatives from law schools, law students, civil legal services organizations, the courts, and community partners to examine how legal education and all its partners can cultivate lawyers’ commitments to ethical practice, public service, independence, and the responsibility to uphold the law. Topics will include independence, service to those of limited means, and the duty to uphold and defend the rule of law.

This program is free and open to the public. Law students are especially encouraged to attend.

To view the conference schedule and register, visit https://alumni.albanylaw.edu/accesstojustice2026

04/13/2026

In this video, Albany Law School student and Government Law Center Research Assistant Anna Meisenburg ’26 talks about her new explainer co-authored with Government Lawyer in Residence Bennett Liebman.

Under New York’s Even-Year Election Law, many local elections will soon shift to even-numbered years, putting them on the same schedule as federal and state elections. The EYEL took effect in 2025 but has faced lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the law in state and federal courts. While the state’s highest court has upheld the law, one federal lawsuit is still pending.

The GLC's latest explainer breaks down the law and the constitutional questions facing the courts: https://www.albanylaw.edu/government-law-center/even-year-election-law

03/30/2026

Albany Law School has been ranked a top school in the nation for government by National Jurist’s preLaw magazine. The article specifically highlights the continued growth of the Government Law Center's Fellowship Program, which admitted its largest cohort to date this year.

Patrick Wildes ’16, GLC Director, noted that earning this designation again is a credit to Albany Law’s unique level of access to New York State government agencies and lawmakers, as well as a sustained interest in public service work—a field often pursued by students who want to help others through policy change.

Learn more: https://www.albanylaw.edu/government-law-center/news/albany-law-named-among-top-government-law-schools-ranked-prelaw-magazine

03/27/2026

The Government Law Center was well represented at the 32nd Annual Kate Stoneman Day, Albany Law School's annual program celebrating leaders who advance opportunities for women in the legal profession.

GLC Fellow Delicia T. Thomas ’26 received the Kate Stoneman Student Award for her essay about what it means to be a trailblazer and ensuring that women continue to have a voice in every space.

GLC Advisory Board Chair Amy Kellogg ’02 joined Connie Cahill ’83 and Nairobi Vives ’12 as this year's Kate Stoneman Honorees. GLC Advisory Board Members Hon. Elizabeth Garry ’91 and Hon. Leslie Stein (ret.) ’81 introduced and presented awards to Cahill and Vives, respectively.

Finally, GLC Program Director Chel Miller joined Albany Law President and Dean Cinnamon Carlarne to present the Miriam M. Netter ’72 Kate Stoneman Award to Danielle Holley, President of Mount Holyoke College (Miller's alma mater).

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4v5nd0R07A

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albanylaw/albums/72177720332744295

03/23/2026

Join us in ONE WEEK for a virtual panel discussion about the landscape of affordability and childcare across New York State.

The conversation will be moderated by Patrick Wildes ’16, Esq., Director of the Government Law Center.

Panelists include:
• Hon. Jen Lunsford, Esq. — New York State Assembly Member, District 135
• Nora Yates — Deputy Commissioner, Division of Child Care Services, New York State Office of Children and Family Services
• Dede Hill, Esq. — Vice President of Policy, Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
• Alicia Marks — Owner and Operator, Marks of Excellence Day Care

Affordability and Childcare with a Statewide Lens
📅 Monday, March 30, 2026
⏰ 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
📍 Zoom Webinar
🎫 This free program is open to the public. RSVP: https://alumni.albanylaw.edu/anderson2026

The 2026 Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series is supported by a generous contribution in the memory of Sharon P. O'Conor, Esq. ’79. This program is supported by a generous contribution from CSEA Local 1000.

03/23/2026

03/20/2026

This week, Albany Law School's Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series returned to the New York State Capitol for an insightful discussion about transportation law, policy, and infrastructure — including the effects of federal uncertainty on transportation funding and development in New York, the transportation sector's priorities in state budget negotiations, and potential changes to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

Thank you to moderator Liz Benjamin (Marathon Strategies; former host of Capital Tonight) and panelists New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney ’10, NYS Thruway Authority Executive Director Francis G. H***e ’85, and New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez for sharing their time and expertise.

The 2026 Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series is supported by a generous contribution in the memory of Sharon P. O'Conor ’79.

To learn more about the series and register for upcoming programs, visit https://alumni.albanylaw.edu/anderson2026

03/20/2026