Joseph Rivera

Joseph "Joe" Rivera is a judge in New York City.

Cases tried[]

Granted ADA Kincaid's motion for Bowen to turn over one of her public hairs for comparison to one found in the victim's watch and goes further by ordering her to appear in a line-up for a witness.
Denied defense's motion to exclude the embassy report and Bowen's statements in it proving Bowen knew the victim prior to when she murdered him.
Allowed Bowen to use a justification defense based on battered woman's syndrome.
Granted Dr. Watanabe, an expert witness for the defense, some latitude in exploring Japanese culture as it relates to the abuse of women.
Read a jury instruction towards the jury highlighting that they may not consider the victim's prior acts, country of origin or race in their deliberations.

Granted Smith's motion to represent himself pro se while ordering Lowe to stay on as his standby counsel at EADA McCoy's request.
Denied Smith's omnibus motion to suppress the evidence against him.
Denied the prosecution's request to instruct the jury to disregard Smith's last statements.
Allowed Patricia Smith to testify for the prosecution against her brother.
- Asked Smith if he wanted the jury to disregard Patricia's last statement, which Smith refused.
Accepted a plea of guilty from the defendant for manslaughter in the first degree for killing Irving Marx, Linda Bowers, a cashier and trying to kill Joanne Ellis after he allocuted.
Sentenced the defendant to serve a sentence of six to eighteen years in a forensic hospital and submit to the strict administration of anti-psychotic drugs after his release or risk being institutionalized again.

Granted multiple motions from Sarno's attorney and various other attorneys representing the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Medical Association and Alcoholics Anonymous to suppress Sarno's confession to rape and murder in a group therapy session on the ground of doctor-patient confidentiality.
Denied the defense's motion to exclude the testimony of Janice Trainor because the testimony is unsubstantiated but grants counsel the right to argue in closing that the testimony is unsupported by documents and that it's fabricated.

Granted the defense's motion to suppress newspaper articles found in the defendant's room detailing other break-ins he committed based on the fact the police haven't conclusively connected Hobbes to those crimes.
Held a hearing to determine the admissibility of the defendant's statement to ADA Serena Southerlyn on potential 6th Amendment rights violations.

After Alicia Williams testified Rivera denied the defense's motion to suppress the statement.

Accepted a plea of guilty for two counts of murder in the second degree for killing Cynthia Hall and Susan Haley from the defendant.
Sentenced the defendant to 15 years to life in prison.