More from this issue:

1. Changing Perception, Changing The Law, by Jean Trounstine
2. California Supreme Court Finds IAC, Vacates Conviction in LAPD Officer’s Murder Case (Again) – 36 Years Later, by Dale Chappell
3. Ninth Circuit Opens Door for Savings Clause Relief, Recognizes ‘Actual Innocence’ for Mandatory Career Offender Sentences, by Dale Chappell
4. Seventh Circuit: Trial Judge Violated 5th Amendment by Modifying Instructions to Allow Jury to Convict on Offenses Not Charged in Indictment, by Douglas Ankney
5. Attacking the Guilty Plea: The Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Standard, by Dale Chappell
6. Suspending the Constitution: Police State Uses Crises to Expand Its Lockdown Powers, by John W. Whitehead
7. SCOTUS: ‘Serious Drug Offense’ Under ACCA Is Self-Defining, Match with Equivalent Federal Offense Not Required, by Dale Chappell
8. Kansas Supreme Court Holds Threat of Violence Statute Violates First Amendment to Extent it Criminalizes ‘Reckless’ Conduct, by Dale Chappell
9. SCOTUS: Advocating for Shorter Sentence Sufficient to Preserve Claim that Sentence Imposed Greater Than Necessary to Comply With 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), by Douglas Ankney
10. New York Court of Appeals Orders Resentencing Because Trial Court Relied on Testimony from Improperly Unsealed Record, by Douglas Ankney
11. California Court of Appeal: Senate Bill 1437 Abrogates ‘Natural and Probable Consequences Doctrine’ in Attempted Murder Prosecutions and Applies Retroactively to Cases on Appeal, by Douglas Ankney
12. Sixth Circuit: Cardiologist’s Right to Due Process Violated Where District Court Ordered Government to Not Disclose Third Party’s Expert Evaluation of Medical Care Provided by Him, by Douglas Ankney
13. En Banc Ninth Circuit Provides Guidance on When Amended Habeas Petition ‘Relates Back’ to Original Claims to Avoid Dismissal as Untimely, by Dale Chappell
14. First Circuit: Home Search Affidavit Failed to Establish Nexus of Crime and Evidence, by David Reutter
15. First Circuit: Securing a Weapon Not Used in Offense Is Not Exigent Circumstance Permitting Warrantless Entry and Search of Suspect’s Home, by Anthony Accurso
16. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Reverses Murder Conviction Due to Insufficient Evidence, by Douglas Ankney
17. Second Circuit Holds Denial to Proceed Under Pseudonym by Magistrate Judge Is Immediately Appealable, by Dale Chappell
18. Fifth Circuit Settles In-Circuit Confusion, Holds Implicit Extension of Time to File State Appeal Tolls AEDPA Clock to File Federal Habeas Petition, by Dale Chappell
19. Pennsylvania Prosecutors Cash in on Low-Level Drug Crimes, by Edward Lyon
20. Former Florida Deputy Jailed for Fabricating Drug Evidence, by David Reutter
21. Prosecutors Overrepresented Among Federal Judges, by Jayson Hawkins
22. ‘Travel Papers’ and the Pandemic Patriot Act 2.0, by Daisy Luther, The Organic Prepper
23. FBI ‘Assessing’ Black Americans, by Jayson Hawkins
24. California Supreme Court: Refusing to Testify Insufficient to Constitute Accessory After the Fact, by Anthony Accurso
25. Seventh Circuit: Unsupported CI Statements Insufficient to Justify Higher Drug Quantity for Sentencing, by Dale Chappell
26. Ninth Circuit: Proposition 47 Creates New, Intervening Judgment to Allow Another Federal Habeas Petition Attacking Entire Case, by Dale Chappell
27. Seventh Circuit Vacates Sentence for Failure to Explain Extreme Departure of Guidelines Range, by Anthony Accurso
28. Coronavirus: Will Courts Continue To Operate, Preserving the Rule of Law?, by Austin Sarat, Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College, The Conversation
29. Repeat Offenders May Be the Result of Different Brain Composition, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
30. Washington Supreme Court Announces PRP Petition ‘Final’ Upon Issuance of Certificate of Finality to Allow Tolling of Federal Habeas Clock, by Dale Chappell
31. Hawaii Lawmakers Propose Transparency from Prosecutors, by David Reutter
32. New Fingerprint Test Can Distinguish Whether Person Ingested Cocaine or Only Touched It, by Douglas Ankney
33. Wyoming Supreme Court Finds IAC Where Counsel Failed to Challenge Prolonging of Traffic Stop After Citation Completed, by Anthony Accurso
34. North Carolina Supreme Court Announces Defendant Can Forfeit Right to Counsel by Egregious Misconduct; Trial Court May Forgo Compliance with N.C.G.S. § 15A-1242, by Douglas Ankney
35. Report: LAPD Engaged in Racial Profiling in Traffic Stops, by Kevin Bliss
36. Fingerprint Analysis: High Stakes, Low Qualifications, by Jayson Hawkins
37. California Supreme Court: Defendant Doesn’t Forfeit Claim for Failing to Object to Expert’s Testimonial Hearsay at Trial That Occurred Before Sanchez Was Decided, by Anthony Accurso
38. Big Brother Is ... Tracking You, by Douglas Ankney
39. Georgia Supreme Court Reverses Dismissal of Second State Habeas Petition, by Douglas Ankney
40. DNA Contamination Threatened Conviction of Innocent Man, by Kevin Bliss
41. Sealed Records Open for View, by Kevin Bliss
42. Citizens in California Can No Longer be Prosecuted for Refusing to Risk Their Lives Assisting Police, by Douglas Ankney
43. News Websites Rethink Using Mugshots as Click-Bait, by Dale Chappell
44. Advanced DNA Technology Helps Free Innocent Georgia Man After Nearly 18 Years in Prison, by Edward Lyon
45. In the Criminal Justice System, Big Brother Gets Bigger Every Day, by Douglas Ankney
46. City of Grand Rapids to Pay Marine $190,000 After He Was Unlawfully Detained as ‘Illegal Foreign National’, by Douglas Ankney
47. California’s Killer Cops, by Douglas Ankney
48. ‘Constitutional Crisis’ Still Exists Despite California Supreme Court Ruling on Opening Access to Law Enforcement Brady Lists, by Dale Chappell
49. Complexity and Lack of Standardization Makes Crime Statistics Less Useful, by Matthew Clarke
50. Chicago’s ‘Despicable’ Red-Light Camera System Exposed, by Douglas Ankney
51. New York Police Department Plays Loose with Freedom of Information Act Laws, by Kevin Bliss
52. How to Clear Your Record of Marijuana Charges in Illinois, by Dale Chappell
53. Could a Second Chance be the Answer?, by Kevin Bliss
54. Wrongfully Convicted NY Man Freed After 24 Years, by Jayson Hawkins
55. News in Brief
56. Chicago Police Department Ordered to Release 49 Years of Misconduct Files, by Matthew Clarke

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:

• Hawai’i Supreme Court Reverses Murder Conviction for Prosecutorial Misconduct Based on Prosecution’s Improper Statements During Closing Arguments, Feb. 15, 2025. Prosecutors, Wrongful Conviction, Prior Convictions - Expungement or Reversal of, Improper Comment.
• Surveilling the Harms of Electronic Monitors, Feb. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Electronic Monitoring, Breathalyzer Tests.
• Virginia Governor’s Veto Exposes Prisoners Who Took Plea Bargains to Civil Rights Violations, Sept. 15, 2024. State Legislation, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions, Plea Bargaining.
• Law Review Article Reports Metadata on Victims of Coercive Plea Bargaining, Sept. 1, 2024. Databases, Coercive Interrogations, Plea Bargaining.
• Reform-Minded Prosecutors Face Backlash for Prosecuting Bad Cops, June 15, 2024. Police Misconduct, Government Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Prosecutors, Police/Govt Misconduct, Criticism of Government.
• California Court of Appeal: Statistical Evidence Showing Racial Disparity Combined With Evidence Showing Non-Minority Defendants Charged With Lesser Crimes Establishes Prima Facie Case Under California Racial Justice Act, June 15, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Racial Profiling, Charging Decisions, Disparity in Charging/Sentencing Practices.
• U.N. Panel Finds Rampant Racism in U.S. Criminal Justice System, June 1, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Commentary/Reviews, Crime/Demographics, Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends.
• Lawsuit Alleges Black ICE Detainee Subjected to Racial Slurs, Choked in Restraint Chair at Pennsylvania Jail, June 1, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Detention - Generally.
• FBI Visit to Oklahoma Woman in Response to Social Media Post Sparks Debate on Free Speech, May 15, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Religious Discrimination, FBI, First Amendment, rights, Police State-Surveillance, Social Media.
• These Men Fought White Supremacists and Got Sentenced to Over 200 Years, May 1, 2024. Guard Misconduct, Political Prisoners, Racial Discrimination, Prison Rebellion, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guards/Staff.