by Christopher Zoukis
A federal jury awarded over a million and a half dollars in damages to four people injured by Charlotte, North Carolina "Special Police Officers" in a January 2007 decision.
The lawsuit stemmed from an incident that took place on June 13, 2001 at Champ's Cafe in Charlotte. ...
by Christopher Zoukis
Police officers are sworn to uphold the law. When the uniform goes on, they become arbiters and enforcers of right and wrong. But a new police crime database reveals an important and often overlooked aspect of the job: Police officers are people first, cops second. And people ...
by Christopher Zoukis
The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously ruled on October 2, 2017 that a convicted murderer was entitled to a new trial because the original trial transcript was destroyed in a fire, and the State’s efforts to recreate it were wholly insufficient.
Craig Johnson was found guilty of malice ...
by Christopher Zoukis
The New Jersey Supreme Court issued a ruling on July 25, 2017 in which it granted qualified immunity to a police officer accused of a police-created “exigent circumstances” search. But in the process of doing so, the Court put police officers statewide on notice that such searches ...
by Christopher Zoukis
A retired police officer from Hercules, California has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for attempting to murder his estranged wife in a 2015 drive-by shooting.
John Goodner was accused of stalking and harassing his estranged wife for months leading up to his attempt to murder ...
by Christopher Zoukis
New York Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks issued a bold (and much needed) new rule on November 7, 2017. Intended to remind prosecutors of their duty to disclose exculpatory material to the defense, the rule requires that all trial judges in the state issue a “Brady” ...
by Christopher Zoukis
The Idaho Supreme Court handed down an opinion on September 22, 2017 that clarified an important exception to the requirement that police officers obtain a warrant prior to conducting a search. The exception known as “search incident to arrest” allows police to conduct a warrantless search of ...
by Christopher Zoukis
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated an improperly enhanced sentence of 46 months for illegal reentry after deportation.
In 2009, Roman Bartolo Genao, a national of the Dominican Republic, was convicted in New York state court of first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery. ...
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld a district court's ruling that certain information relating to terrorist organizations is not disclosable under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center ("The Center") submitted to the Department of Homeland Security a FOIA ...
By Christopher Zoukis
The Virginia Supreme Court has reversed a jury's finding that a convicted sex offender was not a sexually violent predator who must be civilly committed.
On Aug. 12, 2014 the Commonwealth of Virginia moved to involuntarily commit Brady Arnold Proffitt, Jr. as a sexually violent predator. In ...
