The suit claims a Republican county executive's creation of an armed unit of volunteer residents amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded civilian militia.”

A New York Republican county executive is being sued over a move to deputize citizens for law-enforcement efforts, with Democrats arguing that it amounts to an "illegal militia." The lawsuit, filed by a pair of Democratic county legislators,

The suit challenges the legality of the “special deputy sheriffs” program announced in March 2024 to public outcry by Blakeman, which authorizes the activation of “minimally trained, unregistered

Democrats in suburban New York are suing a Republican county executive over his creation of an armed unit of volunteer residents, saying it amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded civilian militia.”

The corps created by Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, is “an authoritarian power grab in the heart of suburban America,” said a lawyer representing county lawmakers.

Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature sued County Executive Bruce Blakeman over his "provisional special deputies program," a force of armed civilians he could activate in an emergency.

Democratic Nassau County legislators are joining together to sue Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman over his plan to deputize citizens as

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman raked in more than $720,000 in campaign donations during the second half of 2024, a sum powered by contributions from property tax grievance firms and Republican Party leaders, newly released filings show.