More from this issue:

1. Judge orders Tacoma to pay fines, attorney fees over stingray records, by Dale Chappell
2. $150,000 Settlement for Man Beaten by West Virginia State Police
3. Ninth Circuit Reverses Conviction for Conspiracy to Smuggle Drugs Based Solely on ‘Drug Courier Profile’, by Christopher Zoukis
4. First Circuit Holds Sixth Amendment Speedy Trial Clock Starts Upon Original, Not Superseding, Indictment When Based on Same Act or Scheme, by Dale Chappell
5. Texas Woman Receives Five Years in Prison for Illegal Voting After Criminal Conviction, by Derek Gilna
6. Ohio Governor Commutes Another Death Sentence
7. Nevada Supreme Court Announces Testimony at Probation Revocation Hearing Inadmissible in Later Criminal Proceeding, by Dale Chappell
8. Second Circuit Denies NYPD Qualified Immunity for Use of Military-Grade Acoustic Weapon on Peaceful Protesters, by Christopher Zoukis
9. Brooklyn, New York’s Top Prosecutor Opens Door for Expungement of Pot Convictions, by Derek Gilna
10. West Virginia Legislature Impeaches State Supreme Court Justices for Alleged Misconduct, by Derek Gilna
11. News in Brief
12. First Circuit Vacates Supervised Release Condition Effectively Prohibiting Contact with His Minor Children, by Matthew Clarke
13. U.S. Supreme Court: Defendant Sentenced Pursuant to a Rule 11(c)(1)(C) Plea ‘Generally Eligible’ for Sentence Reduction when Guidelines Retroactivity Reduced, by Christopher Zoukis
14. Federal Judge Orders New Orleans Municipal Court System to Reform Money Bail, by Derek Gilna
15. D.C. Circuit Holds Generic Appeal Waiver Does Not Bar IAC Claim During Sentencing, by Dale Chappell
16. Ninth Circuit Affirms $4 Million Verdict for Couple Shot by L.A. County Deputies During Warrantless Entry into Their Home, by Dale Chappell
17. Civil Libertarians Concerned About Undisclosed FBI Research into Tattoo Recognition Technology, by Derek Gilna
18. U.S. Supreme Court: Plainly Miscalculated Guidelines Range Requires Appellate Court to Vacate Sentence in the Ordinary Case, by Christopher Zoukis
19. Indiana Supreme Court Announces Single Act of Resisting Police Bars Multiple Counts, Regardless of Number of Officers Involved or People Killed, by David Reutter
20. Federal Judge Rules Cullman County, Alabama, Money Bond System Unconstitutional, by Derek Gilna
21. Is a Florida Chief Judge Taking Cues From a Prosecutor?, by Jacqueline Azis, Somil Trivedi
22. The Legacy of a Torturer, by Joan Parkin
23. Report: Right to Trial Exists in Name. In Reality, Only 3% of Cases Go to Trial, by Steve Horn
24. Man Who Lawfully Had Sex with Girlfriend, 17, Could Face Decades in Prison for Taking Sexually Explicit Photos of Her
25. Rhode Island Supreme Court Takes on ‘Thorny Issues’ Presented by Sex Offender Registry Laws, by Christopher Zoukis
26. $3 Million Federal Court Settlement: Philadelphia Agrees to End Civil Forfeiture, by Derek Gilna
27. The Power of the Prosecutor: A Personal Account, by Ashley Sawyer
28. Retaliation a Risk When Video Recording Police Brutality, by Kevin Bliss
29. How to File a Police Complaint, by Kevin Bliss
30. Kansas Supreme Court Holds Prosecutor’s Blatant Lies to Jury During Closing Argument Constituted Prosecutorial Misconduct Requiring Reversal of Murder Convictions, by Dale Chappell
31. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New Fuzzy Math Clearly Results in Inflated Assault Figures, by Christopher Zoukis
32. Federal Judge Orders Accused Hacker to Post Bail in Bitcoin or Other Cryptocurrency, by Derek Gilna
33. Maryland Court of Appeals Announces Proper Procedure for In Banc Review, by Dale Chappell
34. Do Las Vegas Prosecutors Routinely Ignore Discovery Disclosure Requirements?, by Matthew Clarke
35. Fourth Circuit Affirms Ruling That Diagnosis of Intellectual Development Disorder Does Not Qualify as ‘Sexually Dangerous Person’ Under Federal Civil Commitment Statute, by Christopher Zoukis
36. Second Circuit Rules Police Not Entitled to Qualified Immunity After Failing to Comply With Terms of Material Witness Warrant, by Kevin Bliss
37. Will Groundbreaking California Bail Reform Help or Hinder Defendants’ Likelihood of Pre-Trial Release?, by Betty Nelander
38. Tennessee’s Death Penalty Laws Cruel and Arbitrary, by Kevin Bliss
39. Massachusetts Supreme Court Holds Seven-Year Delay and Inability to Receive Sex Offender Treatment While Awaiting SDP Trial Violates Due Process, by Dale Chappell
40. New Jersey Supreme Court Holds DNA Exception Tolling Statute of Limitations Applies Only to Suspect Directly Identified by DNA, by Dale Chappell
41. Texas Supreme Court Interprets State’s Expungement Statute, by David Reutter
42. ACLU Sues ‘Crooked’ Public Defender in Georgia, by Edward Lyon
43. Pennsylvania Police Use Hate Crime Law Against People Who Verbally Abuse Them, Dramatically Increasing Potential Jail Time, by Kevin Bliss
44. Conviction Integrity Units, Innocence Commissions Tackle Wrongful Convictions, Prosecutorial Misconduct, by Steve Horn
45. Documents Reveal How Law Enforcement Partners with Private Companies to Surveil Schools, by Steve Horn

More from Christopher Zoukis:

• The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, July 1, 2021
• Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, Oct. 1, 2020
• Coronavirus in Prison: The Cruel Reality, Aug. 1, 2020
• With Lives of Immigrant Detainees at Risk to COVID-19, Federal Judge Forces ICE’s Hand, July 1, 2020
• A Nation on the Brink, June 15, 2020
• Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, June 1, 2020
• Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 1, 2020
• New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, June 1, 2020
• Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, May 1, 2020
• California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, May 1, 2020

More from these topics:

• Former South Carolina Jailer Spared Prison After Testimony Fails to Convict Former Sheriff, Feb. 15, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentences - Adjustments and Departures, Offense of Conviction.
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025. Parole/Probation Searches, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Parole Liability, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
• Oregon Supreme Court: Governor Can’t Revoke Commutation After Sentence Expires, Jan. 15, 2025. Parole/Probation Searches, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Resentencing, Revocation Proceedings, Overreaching.
• After Florida Appellate Court Holds Crimes of ‘Attempt’ Eligible for Incentive Gain Time, Supreme Court Refuses Review, Jan. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Attempts/Incomplete Acts, Credits, Sentences - Adjustments and Departures.
• Seventh Circuit Announces Maximum Revocation Sentence for Violation of Supervised Release Based on Classification of Underlying Offense at Time of Conviction, Not at Time of Revocation, Dec. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Revocation Proceedings.
• California Supreme Court Announces Retroactivity of 2022 Version of Penal Code § 1170 to Upper-Term Sentences Imposed Before Its Enactment, Dec. 15, 2024. Retroactivity, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
• First Circuit Holds Government Breached Plea Agreement by Implicitly Arguing for Upward Variant Sentence by Including Pictures and Video of Defendant That Allegedly Depict His Criminal Tendencies in Sentencing Memo, Dec. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Grounds for Variance, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas, Grounds.
• Fifth Circuit Judges Battle in Louisiana Over-Detention Cases, Dec. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Overdetention, Credits.
• California Supreme Court Announces Uncharged and Unproven Offense-Specific Enhancements May Not Be Imposed Under § 1172.6(e) Resentencing, Dec. 1, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Resentencing, Sentence Enhancements/Departures.
• Third Circuit: Despite ‘Expressly and Repeatedly’ Requesting Low-End Sentence, Government Breached Plea Agreement by Emphasizing ‘Heinous’ Nature of Offense and Presenting Victim-Impact Evidence at Sentencing Thereby Undermining Recommendation, Dec. 1, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Reduction of Sentence, Proffer Agreements/Statements/Sessions.