by David Reutter
The Supreme Court of Mississippi held that neither it nor an appellate court sits as a “thirteenth juror” when reviewing a motion for new trial. The Court clarified that in a court’s appellate capacity it does not reweigh evidence, assess witness creditability, or resolve conflicts between evidence. ...
by David Reutter
The Supreme Court of Utah held that the Board of Pardons and Parole (“Parole Board”) violated a prisoner’s due process rights by adjudicating him a sex offender. The designation as a sex offender was based on unproven allegations in a police report and a mistrial without conviction ...
by David Reutter
The Supreme Court of Vermont held that the State may not compel a defendant to submit to a competency evaluation conducted by a mental-health expert of the State’s choosing after a court-ordered competency evaluation by a neutral mental-health expert.
Following his arrest for second-degree murder, Christopher Sharrow’s ...
by David Reutter
The Supreme Court of Iowa held that a motion for postconviction relief is the proper vehicle to challenge a substantial deprivation of liberty or property interest in certain Iowa Department of Corrections (“IDOC”) administrative actions.
In 1990, Kevin Franklin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree sexual ...
by David M. Reutter
The death penalty is sold by its advocates as a crime deterrent or a penalty reserved for the most heinous of crimes. The reality is that the death penalty is often used as a political tool for prosecutors and judges to enhance their re-electability and to ...
by David M. Reutter
Philadelphia is using part of a $3.5 million grant to create a computerized bail-risk assessment tool. The effort is part of the city’s Reentry Project.
The MacArthur Foundation selected Philadelphia to take part in its Safety and Justice Challenge. According to Gabriel B. Roberts, spokesman for ...
by David Reutter
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held a Nevada federal district court erred in its analysis under the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (“AEDPA”) by deferring to a state court’s determination that a death-sentenced prisoner was not intellectually disabled. The Court further held the ruling in ...
by David Reutter
A $50 million lawsuit was filed against a Michigan State Trooper who Tasered a Detroit teen on an ATV before the teen crashed and died. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 15-year-old Damon Grimes' family by attorney Geoffrey Fieger.
According to Trooper Mark Bessner's attorney, "on ...
by David Reutter
The Iowa federal judge who oversaw the judicial proceeds for about 400 undocumented immigrants who were arrested at the country's largest kosher slaughterhouse may have committed ethical violations by coordinating the raid.
The May 12, 2008 raid made headlines for being the largest workplace raid to date, and its ...
by David Reutter
Laws aimed at reducing Louisiana's prison population resulted in the release of about 1,400 prisoners on November 1, 2017. While the population reduction from those laws will save taxpayers $262 million, those who benefit from free prisoner labor are against the change.
Louisiana is America's prison capital, ...
