Attorney general’s speech reflects ABA push against overcriminalization

Oct 1, 2013 7:10 AM CDT

House of Delegates supports key measure to fight human trafficking

Oct 1, 2013 6:40 AM CDT

Situations you thought had vanished may rise to remind you that the law never forgets

Oct 1, 2013 5:40 AM CDT

Wasted peremptory on juror who should have been excused for cause warrants new trial, court says

The Florida Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a murder defendant because his lawyer had to use a peremptory challenge to remove a prospective juror who should have been excused for cause. The court ruled in the case of Rafael Matarranz, who was convicted of murder and burglary…

Sep 27, 2013 5:53 PM CDT

Fla. woman serving 20-year prison sentence for ‘warning shot’ gets new trial

A Florida woman serving a 20-year prison sentence for firing what she said was a warning shot at her abusive husband has been awarded a new trial. A state appeals court ruled Thursday that the instructions on self-defense that were given to the jury that convicted Marissa Alexander were erroneous,…

Sep 26, 2013 9:59 PM CDT

Judge nixed new lawyer, so robbery suspect gets new trial

A convicted robbery suspect has been granted a new trial because of the way a Pennsylvania judge handled his request for a new attorney. Nelson Alvarado-Lenhart, 35, had asked in December 2011 that his court-appointed defense attorney be replaced, explaining that he was not satisfied with the way the lawyer…

Sep 18, 2013 5:35 PM CDT

Two Chicago men serving lengthy prison sentences are freed after convictions set aside

Two Chicago area men serving lengthy prison sentences were ordered freed Tuesday after prosecutors set aside their convictions. Carl Chatman, 58, had been sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping of a Cook County clerk at the Daley Center in downtown Chicago in 2002, the Chicago Tribune and the…

Sep 10, 2013 9:59 PM CDT

Woman released on bond after 23 years on death row for son’s murder

An Arizona woman imprisoned for her son’s murder has been freed on bond after 23 years on death row. Debra Milke, 49, was released Friday after a judge ruled there was no direct evidence tying her to the 1989 murder of her 4-year-old son, Christopher, the Associated Press reports. Milke’s…

Sep 9, 2013 11:00 PM CDT

Top state court tells judge to cancel hearing on 30-day term for ex-teacher who admitted teen rape

In the latest twist in the controversial case of a former Montana high school teacher who admitted raping one of his 14-year-old students, yet had all but 30 days of a 15-year sentence suspended, the judge in the case was ordered to cancel a Friday hearing at which he reportedly…

Sep 6, 2013 9:00 PM CDT

10th Circuit says judge erred in denying payment to lawyer who challenged execution method

An Oklahoma lawyer who mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to the method of execution eventually used on his client in a death-penalty case is entitled to be paid for his time, a federal appeals court has ruled. Reversing a federal district court’s decision not to award attorney fees to James…

Sep 4, 2013 7:55 PM CDT

Judge orders new hearing for man given 30 days in controversial teen rape case

Castigated for having sentenced a former teacher convicted of raping a 14-year-old who subsequently committed suicide to only 30 days in jail, a Montana judge now says he made have made a mistake and has ordered a new hearing on Friday. But it appears that District Judge G. Todd Baugh…

Sep 3, 2013 11:05 PM CDT

Crime labs under the microscope after a string of shoddy, suspect and fraudulent results

Sep 1, 2013 10:20 AM CDT

Ordinance that evicts tenants for seeking police aid is putting abused women out on the street

Sep 1, 2013 8:50 AM CDT

Predictive policing may help bag burglars—but it may also be a constitutional problem

Sep 1, 2013 8:40 AM CDT

Soldier gets life in prison for Afghan killing rampage

U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Bales, who admitted to shooting 16 civilians, including nine children, in a 2012 bloody rampage of two villages in Afghanistan, was sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield with Joint Base Lewis-McChord, CNN reports. Bales’ guilty plea in June spared…

Aug 23, 2013 9:32 PM CDT