Criminal Procedure

Bush and Pardon Recipients Share Trait: They’re Supporters of Right to Bear Arms

Seven of the 14 people forgiven by President Bush last week are former hunting or shooting enthusiasts. Five even wrote Bush expressing their desire to win back the right to own a firearm as the chief reason for wanting the pardon, the Wall Street Journal reports. Leslie Collier, a 50-year-old…

Dec 1, 2008 9:49 PM CST

Critics Seek Uniform Standard for Police Cell Phone Tracking Requests

Some magistrate judges and lawyers are saying legislation is needed to set a uniform legal standard for cell phone tracking requests by police. Courts have been divided on the showing needed to obtain such information, the Washington Post reports. “Decisions depend on the court and even which judge in which…

Nov 14, 2008 5:55 PM CST

Blue, Yellow and Green Juries Hear Evidence in Rare Triple Murder Trial

An unusual triple murder trial of three men charged with the murder of a New York police officer during a 2007 traffic stop in Brooklyn is being handled in an unusual way. Three color-coded juries, referred to as blue, yellow and green, are being shuttled in and out of the…

Nov 11, 2008 5:36 PM CST

For Now, Convicted Sen. Ted Stevens is Still Eligible to Vote

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens will be able to vote next week because he hasn’t been sentenced yet for his conviction on seven counts in a federal corruption case. Alaska’s Department of Law decided yesterday that Stevens may vote because his conviction isn’t final, the Anchorage Daily News reports. A legal…

Oct 30, 2008 3:49 PM CDT

Man Guilty of Fatal 1980 Hit-and-Run Now Faces Murder Case in Same Death

In 1980, Ronald Rice stood before a judge in suburban Chicago and apologized for hiding the body of an 11-year-old boy that he accidentally hit with his car. He was sentenced to 6 months in the hit-and-run case. But today Cook County officials said that was far from the full…

Oct 29, 2008 6:20 PM CDT

Sen. Stevens Blasts Prosecutors after Conviction on All Counts

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is just as feisty after his corruption conviction as he was when he testified at trial. In a statement issued yesterday evening, Stevens blasted prosecutors and vowed to “fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have,” reports The BLT: The Blog of Legal…

Oct 28, 2008 11:57 AM CDT

Deliberating Jurors Spot Error in Sen. Stevens Indictment

Oops. Jurors deliberating in the high-profile corruption trial of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens spotted an error today in his indictment. “Among the seven charges in the indictment, prosecutors said that Stevens checked ‘no’ on financial documents when asked whether he received any gifts in 2001. Actually, he checked ‘yes,’ and…

Oct 27, 2008 7:21 PM CDT

Exonerated Man Helps Launch National Innocence Investigation Company

Corrected: Fortress Global Investigations, a New York City-based investigative firm, will officially launch a national investigation company focused on overturning wrongful conviction cases at a press conference today. The endeavor, Fortress Innocence Group, is the brainchild of retired New York City police detective Jay Salpeter, Martin Tankleff and Robert Seiden,…

Oct 24, 2008 10:14 PM CDT

200 Text Messages to be Released in Detroit Obstruction Case

A Michigan appeals court has declined to block the release of some 200 text messages at the heart of a criminal case against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s ex-chief of staff. Judge Timothy Kenny intends to keep some of the messages under seal because they involve communications between the parties…

Oct 22, 2008 9:58 PM CDT

Cop Issues Mayor Duplicate Ticket After Judge Nixes First

Apparently unhappy that the mayor of village in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley was able to get a traffic ticket dismissed, the police officer rang the mayor’s doorbell and issued a duplicate. The traffic saga for Mamaroneck Mayor Kathleen Savolt began in March, when police officer Michael Petrillo ticketed her…

Oct 22, 2008 8:38 PM CDT

Supreme Court Denies Cert for Inmate Asserting Actual Innocence

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by a death row inmate who claims the Eighth Amendment bars execution of those who are actually innocent. Troy Anthony Davis had received a stay of execution as the court considered his cert petition. The court’s refusal to hear the…

Oct 14, 2008 2:36 PM CDT

Prosecutors Seek 230-Year Sentence for Ex-Gen Re Lawyer

Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of up to 230 years in prison for a former senior lawyer at Gen Re convicted for helping structure a sham insurance deal with American International Group. The lawyer, Robert Graham, was convicted of securities fraud in February along with four other Gen Re executives,…

Oct 10, 2008 10:49 AM CDT

U of Utah Gets $2.5M US Grant to Promote Independent Iraq Judiciary

The law school at the University of Utah has been awarded a $2.5 million one-year grant from the U.S. State Department to help forge an independent judiciary in Iraq, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. “We can’t reform the Iraqi system, but we can inform the reformers of the system. We’re…

Oct 9, 2008 11:54 PM CDT

No Mistrial for Senator Stevens

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. Thursday refused to declare a mistrial in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, despite a finding that prosecutors failed to turn over potentially exculpatory information to the defense. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan took prosecutors to the woodshed, saying “the court…

Oct 3, 2008 10:32 AM CDT

Judge Considers Dismissing Stevens Indictment over Withheld FBI Records

Updated: A federal judge heard arguments Thursday on whether to dismiss the indictment or declare a mistrial in the prosecution of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan suspended Stevens’ trial because of revelations the government did not disclose FBI records that could have helped Stevens’ defense, report…

Oct 2, 2008 4:11 PM CDT