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Archive: 2025

February

• Community Supervision: America’s Hidden Wellspring to Mass Incarceration by Douglas Ankney, James Mills (p 1)
• Hawai’i Supreme Court Reverses Murder Conviction for Prosecutorial Misconduct Based on Prosecution’s Improper Statements During Closing Arguments by Sam Rutherford (p 13)
• D.C. Circuit Holds Compelling Suspect to Unlock Cellphone With Thumbprint Is ‘Testimonial’ Act and Violates Fifth Amendment Privilege Against Self-Incrimination by Anthony Accurso (p 14)
• A Gift America Can’t Return: The Police State Is America’s New Crime Boss by Nisha Whitehead, John W. Whitehead (p 16)
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers by David Reutter (p 20)
• Third Circuit Grants Habeas Relief to Prisoner on Confrontation Clause and Ineffective Assistance Claims Based on Trial Court Reading Entire Criminal Information Into the Record of Co-Conspirator Who Pleaded Guilty by Sam Rutherford (p 22)
• Examining Pro-Prosecution Bias in the Judiciary: Unconscious Biases of a Prosecutorial Background by Casey Bastian (p 24)
• Colorado Supreme Court Holds Defendant Was in ‘Custody’ for Miranda Purposes Because She Had Hands Bagged and Zip Tied, Commanded Not to Remove Them, and Questioned Alone in Interrogation Room With Door Closed by Anthony Accurso (p 28)
• California Court of Appeal: Evidence Insufficient to Show Robbery Victim Moved ‘Substantial Distance’ to Support Simple Kidnapping Conviction and Amendments to § 186.22 Require Vacatur of Gang Enhancements by Douglas Ankney (p 29)
• Fourth Circuit Decision on Claim of Retaliation for Exercising First And Sixth Amendment Rights Highlights Police Corruption by Sam Rutherford (p 31)
• Reining in Police Monitoring of Social Media by Michael Thompson (p 32)
• Study: DNA Transfer in Social Settings by Michael Thompson (p 35)
• California Court of Appeal Announces Defendants May Obtain Brady Evidence From Police Officers’ Personnel Files in Advance of § 1172.6 Hearing Requesting Vacatur of Conviction and Resentencing for Certain Types of Murder Convictions by Sam Rutherford (p 38)
• 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 by David Reutter (p 40)
• Massachusetts Supreme Court Vacates Threat-Based Conviction on First Amendment Grounds Because Jury Instructions Failed to Include Mens Rea Element Mandated by Counterman for ‘True-Threat’ Conviction by Sam Rutherford (p 41)
• First Circuit Holds No Emergency-Aid Exception to Warrant Requirement Where Police Have Information That Subject Is Already Deceased by Anthony Accurso (p 42)
• Police Departments Are Now Using AI to Write Reports by Anthony Accurso (p 44)
• California Court of Appeal Announces Equal Protection Entitles Youth Offenders Convicted of Special Circumstances Murder Predicated on Robbery or Burglary to Franklin and Parole Hearings Under Cal. Penal Code § 3051 by Sam Rutherford (p 46)
• Law Enforcement Obscures Use of Facial Recognition Technology by Sam Rutherford (p 47)
• 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 by David Reutter (p 48)
• News in Brief (p 49)
• Study Reveals Best DNA Recovery Spots on Drug Baggies by James Mills (p 49)
• California Court of Appeal Announces Youthful Defendants Sentenced to Terms ‘Functionally Equivalent’ to LWOP Entitled to Resentencing Under § 1170(d) by Sam Rutherford (p 7)
• Maryland Supreme Court Clarifies Process for Admitting Co-Conspirator’s Hearsay Statements During Police Interview Under ‘Declaration Against Penal Interest’ Exception, Trial Court Must ‘Parse’ Interview to Determine Admissibility of Each Statement by Sam Rutherford (p 10)
• Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA by Dale Chappell (p 13)
• Ninth Circuit Announces ‘Hate Crime’ Sentence Enhancement Under Guidelines § 3A1.1(a) Requires Finding Defendant Motivated by Hate or Animus by Sam Rutherford (p 20)
• Surveilling the Harms of Electronic Monitors by Michael Thompson (p 21)
• The Murky Waters of Parole by David Reutter (p 24)
• Careful What You Search For by Michael Thompson (p 25)
• Study Highlights Limitations in Forensic DNA Analysis Involving Lower Genetic Diversity Groups by Jo Ellen Nott (p 25)
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Clarifies Trial Court Must Conduct Inquiry Whether Defendant Knowingly and Voluntarily Waived Right to Counsel at ‘Any Stage of a Case,’ Including Arraignment or Plea Hearing by Sam Rutherford (p 26)
• Ninth Circuit: Defense Counsel Ineffective for Failing to Move to Suppress Evidence Obtained as a Result of Police Officer Trespassing on Curtilage of Defendant’s Home by Sam Rutherford (p 28)
• Ninth Circuit Announces California Assault With Deadly Weapon Conviction Not ‘Crime of Violence’ for Career Offender Enhancement Under Sentencing Guidelines by Sam Rutherford (p 30)
• New AI Tool Harnesses Microbiomes for Forensic and Medical Breakthroughs by Jo Ellen Nott (p 30)
• California Court of Appeal Strikes Prison Prior Enhancement for Invalid Predicate Offense Under § 1172.75 Despite Concurrently Served Valid Predicate by Sam Rutherford (p 32)
• Illinois Supreme Court Announces Odor of Burnt Cannabis Alone Is Insufficient to Establish Probable Cause for a Warrantless Vehicle Search by Anthony Accurso (p 34)
• First Step Act Linked to Modest Reductions in Time Served by Federal Prisoners by Jo Ellen Nott (p 35)
• Eleventh Circuit: Asylee’s Florida Convictions for Marijuana Possession and Lewd and Lascivious Battery Do Not Warrant Removal Under INA by Sam Rutherford (p 36)
• Minnesota Supreme Court Announces No Duty to Retreat When Using Reasonable Force in Defense of Another and Provides Framework for Analyzing Such Claims by Douglas Ankney (p 38)
• Mass Spectrometry Being Studied as Way to Analyze Overlapping or Weak Fingerprints by Anthony Accurso (p 39)
• Vermont Supreme Court Eliminates Year-and-a-Day Rule in Murder Prosecutions by Sam Rutherford (p 40)
• Chicago’s Police Body Cam Transparency by Michael Thompson (p 42)
• Ninth Circuit Announces ‘Clear Error’ Review Applies to District Courts’ Factual Findings for Brady Challenges and Affirms District Court’s Mid-Trial Order Excluding Witness Testimony and Imposing Monetary Sanctions for Government’s Brady Violation by Sam Rutherford (p 43)
• Federal Facial Recognition Technology Fails Again by Michael Thompson (p 47)
• Colorado Bureau of Investigation Admits Over 1,000 Cases Affected by DNA Test Misconduct by James Mills (p 47)
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Grants Habeas Relief in ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ Case by Sam Rutherford (p 48)
• News in Brief (p 49)

January

• SCOTUS Announces Confrontation Clause Prohibits Expert Witness From Testifying About Non-­Testifying Expert’s Statements Regarding Forensic Testing Performed by Non-­Testifying Expert in Support of Testifying Expert’s Opinion Testimony at Trial by Sam Rutherford (p 24)
• NIJ Partners With Doctor to Develop Better Screening Method to Detect and Identify Drugs Postmortem by Douglas Ankney (p 21)
• Seeking Justice for Two: The DNA Scandal That Shook a Community (p 1)
• Oregon Supreme Court Announces 60-Day Limit on Pretrial Custody Applies to Retrials by Matthew Clarke (p 29)
• Georgia Supreme Court Grants Habeas Relief Where Both Trial and Appellate Counsel Provided Ineffective Assistance by Failing to Challenge Indictment for Residential Burglary That Failed to Allege Defendant Illegally Entered a ‘Dwelling’ by Anthony Accurso (p 32)
• Understanding Timestamps in Digital Forensics by Michael Thompson (p 47)
• Protect Yourself Against Police Invasion of Your Cellphone by Douglas Ankney (p 48)