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New York’s Shame: The State Hunts Marc Fishman While Ignoring Real Justice

In New York, justice is no longer blind—it is willfully deaf to the cries of fathers, the disabled, and anyone who dares stand up to the state’s entrenched political machine. Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of Marc Fishman, a disabled father of four who has spent nearly seven years in a legal nightmare built on false accusations, judicial arrogance, and police misconduct.

This week, that nightmare grew darker. Fishman’s motion to stay his 45-day jail sentence was denied. No interim relief. No compassion. Just the cold machinery of a state that seems determined to grind him down.

A Man Hunted by His Own Government

Marc Fishman’s crime? He was arrested during a prepaid supervised visitation with his autistic son in 2018, when a New Rochelle police officer—later fired after 40+ civilian complaints—claimed he had violated an order of protection. The officer’s own words, caught on audio and video, admitted Fishman had “no intent to commit a crime.” That evidence was withheld from the jury.

Yet it is Fishman, not the officer, who has faced years of prosecution. The officer lost his badge. Fishman may lose his freedom.

False accusations by his estranged wife and false charges by a corrupt police department launched this campaign. Since then, Fishman has been denied ADA accommodations in court, blocked from his children for over 1,600 days, and treated like a fugitive rather than a father.

ADA Rights Ignored, Appeals Dragged

Fishman lives with traumatic brain injury, hearing impairment, and neurological conditions. A federal appeals court in 2021 confirmed he was denied ADA accommodations during trial. Yet state judges refused him a retrial, even while acknowledging those rights exist.

Now, with his stay denied, the appeals process will “go the normal route,” as his attorney explained. Translation: more delays, more years, more suffering. By the time a decision comes, 45 days in jail will already be served.

Hochul’s Deafening Silence

Governor Kathy Hochul had every opportunity to intervene. Supporters called, emailed, petitioned, and pleaded with her office. They highlighted the exculpatory video, the ADA violations, the systemic bias. They warned of the cruelty of jailing a disabled father for a case that should have been thrown out long ago.

And what did Hochul do? She ignored it all. No statement. No compassion. No leadership.

This is the same governor who never misses a chance to hold a press conference about “equity” or “justice” when it suits her politically. But when faced with a real, flesh-and-blood New Yorker who has been railroaded by the system she oversees, she looks away.

The Broader Pattern

Fishman’s ordeal is not an outlier. It’s a symptom of New York’s deeper rot:

  • Weaponized accusations: Protective orders and false domestic violence claims are routinely exploited to erase fathers.
  • Judicial immunity abused: Judges deny basic ADA rights without consequence.
  • Selective prosecutions: A fired officer with a record of misconduct is shielded, while a disabled dad is pursued.
  • Political cowardice: Leaders like Hochul and Letitia James grandstand on Trump and other high-profile cases but abandon ordinary citizens who most need protection.

This is why so many New Yorkers no longer trust their courts or their government.

What Is Next for Marc Fishman?

With the stay denied, Marc faces the prospect of serving his 45-day sentence while his appeal grinds through the courts. His legal team will argue, once again, that the suppressed audio/video exonerates him. They will argue that denying ADA accommodations invalidates the conviction. They will argue the obvious.

But the deeper question is this: what can a man do when his government has decided to hunt him?

Marc Fishman has already tried everything—filing federal suits, appealing rulings, reaching out to watchdogs, even speaking publicly on podcasts and independent outlets. His supporters have built websites like NewRochellePoliceAbuse.com, launched petitions, and donated through his GoFundMe campaign.

And still, the state presses forward.

A Call to Action

Right-leaning critics often point to New York as a cautionary tale of overreach: a government more interested in punishing political enemies and protecting its own than in upholding justice. The Fishman case proves the point.

If New York can jail a disabled father despite exculpatory evidence, federal ADA rulings, and years of advocacy, then no one is safe. This is what happens when unchecked power collides with cowardly leadership.

Marc Fishman deserves freedom, his children, and justice. Instead, he is being offered a jail cell.

Governor Hochul, Attorney General James, and the Westchester judiciary may think this story ends quietly. But the truth is out, and the public is watching. The question is whether New York will keep destroying a man who has already lost nearly everything—or finally admit that justice has been denied long enough.

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