Metro

Stop-and-frisk case going back to Manhattan judge

The de Blasio administration scored a big win in the city’s stop-and-frisk case on Friday when a federal appeals panel passed it back to a Manhattan judge — potentially fast-tracking an anticipated settlement deal between the new mayor and plaintiffs, and snubbing city police unions in the process.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Mayor de Blasio by agreeing to move the controversial case back to Judge Analisa Torres, who was assigned the case in November after the same panel booted Judge Shira Scheindlin off it while also questioning her impartiality.

The new mayor had asked the panel to formerly withdraw the city’s appeal made by the Bloomberg administration late last year and move the case back to Torres in the hopes of soon reaching a settlement with the plaintiffs.

Meanwhile, the appellate panel opted not to rule on a request made by the city’s police unions to let them intervene in the case in the hopes of blocking a settlement. The unions had claimed in legal papers two weeks ago that they “are fighting to participate in this appeal to protect their reputations and to avoid . . . unwarranted burdens.”

But the panel said Torres should decide whether the unions could continue the fight to block NYPD stop-and-frisk tactics from being overhauled.

“While there is authority for granting such a motion, it is generally preferable that the decision be made by the district court,” the panel wrote in a 12-page ruling.

“Moreover, the district court is better positioned to deal with the complexities that might arise during multi-faceted settlement negotiations in which a variety of interests must be accommodated,” added the panel.

Patrick Lynch, president for the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, said the union is hopeful Torres “will recognize the importance of having the police officers’ voices heard in the process of addressing the issues raised in this litigation.”

Scheindlin in August had ruled stop-and-frisk illegally targeted minorities, and ordered sweeping reforms, including appointment of an outside monitor.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg filed an appeal shortly before leaving office, objecting to having an outside monitor micromanage cops and potentially halt strategies that led to historic crime reductions.

De Blasio has said he wants NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton to implement changes to make searches constitutional and noted that a new inspector general will regularly review policing.

David Lerner, a spokesman for the Center for Constitutional Rights, said the plaintiffs are “gratified” that the appellate panel “accepted the parties’ proposed framework for resolving this case.”