NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was acquitted Thursday of criminal charges related to his arrest last September at a protest inside a building that houses one of New York City’s immigration courts.U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo delivered his verdict exonerating Lander a day after presiding over a one-day trial in Manhattan.“I find the defendant not guilty,” Ricardo said after reading a lengthy analysis of the evidence and Lander’s testimony. Lander jubilantly hugged his lawyers immediately after the proceeding ended.Outside the courthouse, Lander, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary, said he was moved by the judge’s “thoughtful, thorough review and ruling in this case.”“I feel genuinely moved by the rule of law,” Lander said, calling it a blessing to live in a country where someone can successfully fight the government when wrongfully charged.
He said he wishes that immigrants facing possible deportation from the U.S. could receive the same access to quality lawyers and the courts that he enjoyed.Federal prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that Lander obstructed an elevator on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza as he sat in front of it for 20 to 25 minutes on Sept. 18, 2025. Ricardo said the government had failed to show that Lander intended to obstruct the elevators or was uncooperative as members of federal law enforcement gave protesters conflicting instructions.
