Politics
Mayor Adams Wins Legal Battle Over Housing Voucher Expansion
A state judge ruled that the City Council did not have the legal authority to expand a housing voucher program.
Mayor Eric Adams won a legal victory on Thursday when a state judge blocked a lawsuit seeking to force New York City to expand a housing voucher program to address rising homelessness.
Last year, the City Council passed a package of bills to make more people eligible for vouchers. Mr. Adams vetoed the legislation, saying it would be too costly.
The Council overrode his veto, and tenants sued to force the city to implement the law.
On Thursday, the State Supreme Court judge, Lyle E. Frank, ruled in favor of the mayor, arguing that the Council did not have the authority to approve the laws and that it was a state matter.
Mr. Adams, a Democrat in his first term, celebrated the ruling in a statement, adding: “We are hopeful that our partners in the Council will join us in remaining committed to working to connect New Yorkers in need with safe, affordable, permanent housing.”
The city has been facing a homelessness crisis, with more people living in the streets and subways than anytime in nearly two decades. It has been exacerbated by an influx of 200,000 migrants arriving from the nation’s southern border.
The battle over housing vouchers is part of a growing rift between the mayor and Council leaders. Mr. Adams recently blocked two of the legislative body’s priorities: a law banning solitary confinement in city jails and an effort to allow the Council to have more input over mayoral appointees.
