by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of California reversed the murder conviction and death sentence of Paul Nathan Henderson because the police continued to question him after he made an unambiguous request for counsel.

Henderson was arrested on July 5, 1997, in connection with a home invasion …

by Douglas Ankney

Ring is Amazon’s “smart” doorbell camera company that allows video cameras within users’ doorbells to surveil their porches, sidewalks, yards, and even the streets next to their homes. But Ring has also partnered with some law enforcement agencies, enabling police to directly email requests to …

by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of New Hampshire held that N.H.R. Crim. P. 14(b)(2)(A) does not allow trial courts to require that defendants identify evidentiary support for a noticed defense.

Michael Munroe was a prisoner at the Rockingham County House of Corrections when he became involved …

by Douglas Ankney

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed the judgment of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio that granted summary judgment to the City of Euclid (“City”) and to Officers Kyle Flagg and Vashon Williams in an action brought …

by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of Nebraska announced that the appropriate remedy after vacatur of an enhanced sentence for vehicular homicide that was imposed in the absence of evidence of any qualifying prior convictions is to remand to the district court for another enhancement and sentencing hearing.

by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of South Carolina held that a trial court’s failure to charge the jury with the circumstantial evidence instruction from State v. Logan, 747 S.E.2d 444 (S.C. 2013), was not harmless error where the State’s evidence was almost entirely circumstantial.

Robin Herndon …

by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of Colorado held that a trial court erred when it permitted the prosecutor to argue that the defendant’s failure to retreat showed she was not afraid, and this lack of fear of the imminent use of unlawful force against her undermined her …

by Douglas Ankney

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin abused its discretion when it denied Vincent Corner’s motion seeking relief under § 404 of the First Step Act (“the Act”) without first determining …

by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of Arizona announced a cumulative error framework for when an appellant claims he was denied a fair trial due to the cumulative effect of multiple instances of prosecutorial misconduct.

A jury found Luis Armando Vargas guilty of several offenses, including first-degree …

by Douglas Ankney

The Supreme Court of Indiana reaffirmed the standard set forth in Mayes v. State, 744 N.E.2d 390 (Ind. 2001), that held a statute barring a claim of self-defense if the defendant had committed a crime requires a showing that “there must be an immediate …