Jonathan Lippman advised New York lawmakers in shaping the reintroduced "Weinstein bill," the retired chief judge told the Law Journal.

The bill was crafted largely in response to the Court of Appeals' controversial 4-3 decision in April that threw out film producer Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction and 23-year prison sentence.

The reform bill calls for a state judge presiding over a sexual assault case to use discretion in admitting relevant evidence of prior uncharged acts. Lippman said the judicial discretion would be "critically important," to weigh the probative value against any possible prejudice to a defendant.