New York governor vetoes bill to make conviction challenges easier

Bill would have expanded opportunity for people who have pleaded guilty to crimes to challenge convictions

The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have made it easier for people who have pleaded guilty to crimes to challenge their convictions, a measure that was favored by criminal justice reformers but fiercely opposed by prosecutors.

The Democrat said the bill's sweeping expansion of eligibility for post-conviction relief" would upend the judicial system and create an unjustifiable risk of flooding the courts with frivolous claims", in a veto letter released on Saturday.