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Snarky Facebook Post Not True Threat; Officers Denied Qualified Immunity
by David Reutter
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed a grant of summary judgment to police officers who arrested a man for a snarky Facebook post without conducting even a minimal investigation.
James Ross, 20, is an active user of Facebook. One of Ross’ Facebook friends ...
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More from this issue:
- Dallas County Private Bail Hearings Leave People Languishing Behind Bars, by Kevin Bliss
- New App Makes It Simple for Civilians to Record Police Encounters
- Sex Offender Registration Biased Against Blacks, by Kevin Bliss
- Arizona Supreme Court Strikes Law Categorically Banning Bail for Sexual Assault as Unconstitutional, by Dale Chappell
- $384 Million Paid Out by New York City in Last Five Years for Police Misconduct, by Derek Gilna
- ACLU Report: A Tale of Two NYCs When It Comes to Policing, by Derek Gilna
- Fourth Circuit Affirms District Court Ruling that Man Committed as ‘Sexually Dangerous’ Should be Released, by Christopher Zoukis
- Increase in Crime Registries Nationwide Not a Benefit to Society, by Kevin Bliss
- Ninth Circuit Grants Habeas for Appellate Lawyer’s Failure to Raise Denial of Self-Representation Claim, by Matthew Clarke
- Tenth Circuit Grants Habeas Relief When ACCA Predicate Offense No Longer Qualifies as ‘Violent Felony’, by Christopher Zoukis
- Chicago Judge Grants No-Money Bond in Murder Case, But Cook County Still Has a Long Way to Go, by Dale Chappell
- FBI Admits Vastly Inflating Number of Unsearchable Mobile Devices
- Oklahoma’s Railroading its Citizens into Prison, by Edward Lyon
- Second Circuit Announces Prisoners Have First Amendment Right Not to Snitch or Provide False Information to Prison Officials, by Richard Resch
- Under Fire, Long Beach Police Suspend Use of Self-Deleting Message App, by Betty Nelander
- Michigan Supreme Court Announces New Rule for Appointing Expert Witness for Indigent Defendants, No Longer Left to Trial Judge’s Discretion, by Dale Chappell
- Oregon Enhanced Drug Penalty ‘For Consideration’ Element Requires Proof of Drug Sale or Agreement to Sell, by Mark Wilson
- Orlando Police Continue to Test Amazon’s Facial Recognition Software Despite Privacy Concerns
- Pennsylvania State Senator Sends the Cops to Collect on Overdue Trash Bills Owed to His Company, by Christopher Zoukis
- Colorado Supreme Court Holds Ameliorative Amendments Apply Retroactively to Non-Final Convictions, by Dale Chappell
- First Circuit Orders Resentencing Where Trial Counsel Failed to Secure Three-Level Reduction Under Sentencing Guidelines, by David Reutter
- Federal Death Penalty Prosecutors Accuse One Another of Destroying Evidence and Other Misconduct in Discrimination Lawsuit, by Shawn Musgrave, Brooke Williams
- Ninth Circuit Rules Detective’s Persistent Questioning After Invocation of Right to Counsel Entitles California Prisoner to Habeas Relief, by Richard Resch
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Reverses Conviction for Improper Lesser-Included-Offense Determination, by Christopher Zoukis
- Washington Supreme Court Announces State’s Death Penalty Is Unconstitutional, by Richard Resch
- Snarky Facebook Post Not True Threat; Officers Denied Qualified Immunity, by David Reutter
- Sixth Circuit Grants Habeas Relief When Juror Failed to Disclose History of Sexual Abuse in Sexual Assault Case, by Christopher Zoukis
- New York Court of Appeals: Excited Utterance Must Be Based on Personal Observation to Be Admissible as Exception to Hearsay Rule, by Dale Chappell
- Three Reasons Why the Supreme Court Should Eliminate the Doctrine of Qualified Immunity, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit: Habeas Petition Challenging § 841 Recidivism Sentence Enhanced with Vacated State Convictions is Not Time-Barred by § 851(e) Statute of Limitations, by Christopher Zoukis
- California Court of Appeal Rules 17-Year Delay in SVP Trial Violated Right to Speedy Trial, by Kevin Bliss
- Warning: Integrity of Judicial Process at Risk, by Sandy Rozek
- Kentucky Supreme Court Declares Law Defining Intellectual Disability Unconstitutional, Overturns Death Sentence, by Dale Chappell
- Is Blue Privilege at Work in Texas Police Killings?, by Betty Nelander
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Holds FTA Does Not Affect Independent Speedy Trial Violation by Prosecutor, by Dale Chappell
- Habeas Hints: Evaluating and Initiating IAC Claims, by Kent Russell, Tara Hoveland
- Should the Minimum Age for the Death Penalty be Bumped Up to 21?
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces ‘Preponderance of the Evidence’ Standard for Determining Voluntariness of Consent to Search, by Dale Chappell
- Free at Last! California Modifies Its Felony Murder Law, Helping up to 800 Prisoners Currently Serving Life Sentences, by Edward Lyon
- Arkansas Supreme Court Reverses Negligent Homicide Conviction Where Evidence Obtained Via Warrantless Blood Draw Used, by Christopher Zoukis
- News in Brief
- Eyewitness (Mis)Identification in the Criminal Justice System: Powerful, Persuasive, and Problematic, by Christopher Zoukis
More from David Reutter:
- Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
- ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
- First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
- The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
- California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
- Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025
- Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025
- In Failure-to-Treat Claims, Wellpath Denied Dismissal in Virginia, Settles in Pennsylvania, Dec. 15, 2024
- Trends Show Mortality Risks Increase with Higher Jail Turnover Rates, Dec. 15, 2024
More from these topics:
- Reining in Police Monitoring of Social Media, Feb. 15, 2025. Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Racial/Ethnic Bias/Profiling, Social Media, Racial Bias Exception.
- Law Enforcement Obscures Use of Facial Recognition Technology, Feb. 15, 2025. Computer Searches, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Police/Govt Misconduct.
- A Gift America Can’t Return: The Police State Is America’s New Crime Boss, Feb. 15, 2025. Police State-Surveillance.
- Chicago’s Police Body Cam Transparency, Feb. 1, 2025. Videotaping, Police, Police State-Surveillance.
- Careful What You Search For, Feb. 1, 2025. Computer Searches, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance.
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Missouri Guards in Transgender Prisoner’s Suit Alleging Retaliation and Unreasonable Search, Jan. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Retaliatory Searches, Qualified Immunity, Discrimination (Transgender), Immunity - Absolute and Qualified.
- Federal Law Enforcement Using Banks to Circumvent Warrant Requirement in Surveilling Sensitive Financial Data of Americans, Dec. 15, 2024. Police State-Surveillance, Exception to Warrant Requirement, Bank/Financial Institution.
- You’d Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Is Making a List, and You’re On It, Dec. 15, 2024. Databases, Police State-Surveillance.
- Cell-Site Simulator Proposal: A Glimpse Inside the Black Box Whose Secrets Are Protected by NDAs and Obfuscation, Dec. 1, 2024. Police State-Surveillance, Cell-Site-Location Records, Cell Site Location Information ("CSLI").
- Chula Vista’s Police Drones, Dec. 1, 2024. Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Use of Drones.