Judge Reins in City Sheriff Following Wave of Cannabis Raids that Shut Down Shops
Sheriff Anthony Miranda has repeatedly overruled a city tribunal that rejected cases alleging stores illegally sold pot. A Queens Supreme Court justice ruled both the enforcement law and his actions unconstitutional. By Rosalind Adams , and Haidee Chu This article originally appeared in The City. NEW YORK - Scores of shuttered cannabis shops across New York City may have a new opportunity to challenge closure orders issued by Sheriff Anthony Miranda and potentially reopen, after a judge ruled on Tuesday that a recently enacted local padlock law didn’t provide sufficient due process. City and state officials vowed shut-downs will continue and, in interviews, lawyers and officials agreed that the ruling won’t do much to challenge the law in its entirety in the short term. Operation Padlock to Protect, launched in May, sent sheriff and NYPD officers to inspect stores and order them closed for as long as a year for unlicensed cannabis sales. Under the law authorizing the operat