Criminal Justice

Teen on field trip ends up in handcuffs and jail garb because judge didn’t want to be ‘played with’

A teenager sleeping during a field trip to a Detroit courtroom got a wake-up call from a judge Tuesday.

Aug 15, 2024 10:28 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi ‘didn’t seem all there’ in late 2020, ex-employee testifies in embezzlement trial

A public defender representing disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi in his embezzlement trial asked a former accounting employee Tuesday about a secret bank account being used by other lawyers at his now-closed law firm.

Aug 14, 2024 12:47 PM CDT

Convicted lawyer’s victimhood claim is ‘absolutely delusional,’ judge says at sentencing hearing

A Chicago lawyer sentenced to prison for bank embezzlement Tuesday interrupted the judge throughout the proceeding and claimed that the case against him “is an evil that’s going on here.”

Aug 14, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

5th Circuit nixes ‘general, exploratory rummaging’ of location data to find suspects

A federal appeals court's decision Friday on the constitutionality of geofence warrants has “case-of-the-year importance,” according to a law professor's blog post.

Aug 13, 2024 10:58 AM CDT

Scam plea-bargain notice targets defendants and lawyers

Scammers in the Atlanta area are posing as prosecutors to target defendants and lawyers, according to a warning by the Cobb County, Georgia, district attorney’s office.

Aug 13, 2024 8:50 AM CDT

Lawyer caught on prison video is accused of smuggling contraband into jail

Bond has been set at $75,000 for a Mississippi lawyer accused of smuggling cellphones and other contraband into a correctional facility.

Aug 12, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

Death-penalty case was epitome of ‘extreme judicial malfunction,’ 6th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has granted habeas to a death row inmate who challenged his sentencing, holding that an Ohio judge displayed an objective risk of bias partly because he enlisted the prosecutor to write the death-penalty opinion.

Aug 12, 2024 11:15 AM CDT

4th Circuit upholds drug conviction despite use of rap lyrics during trial

The prosecution’s use of drug-dealing rap lyrics at trial was not error requiring reversal of a conviction in connection with the sale of eutylone, a designer drug that is similar to ecstasy, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 7, 2024 8:57 AM CDT

Supreme Court rejects Missouri’s suit seeking to delay Trump sentencing in New York case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Missouri’s motion to file an original jurisdiction lawsuit contending that the conviction of former President Donald Trump in the hush-money election-interference case in New York undermines his ability to campaign and violates state residents’ First Amendment right to hear from him.

Aug 6, 2024 11:33 AM CDT

Forensic genetic genealogy helps solve crimes, and all states should regulate it, ABA House says

The House of Delegates addressed the use of forensic genetic genealogy at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago on Monday.

Aug 5, 2024 7:12 PM CDT

Police shouldn’t lie to minors during questioning, ABA House says

At the ABA Annual Meeting on Monday, the House of Delegates considered a resolution that addresses police questioning of minors.

Aug 5, 2024 7:01 PM CDT

California National Guard prosecutors will focus on county following ‘surge operations,’ bringing concern from PDs

Prosecutors with the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force will help prosecute state cases originating in Alameda County, California, according to an announcement Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Aug 5, 2024 1:56 PM CDT

Hunter Biden to be sentenced Nov. 13, a week after Election Day

President Joe Biden’s son Hunter will be sentenced in mid-November—a week after Election Day—after being convicted of gun charges, a federal judge said Friday.

Aug 2, 2024 3:14 PM CDT

Florida lawyer admits trying to ignite bomb outside Chinese embassy in DC

A criminal defense lawyer from Florida pleaded guilty Friday to trying to ignite an explosive device outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington last year, and causing an explosion in San Antonio in 2022 outside the headquarters of Texas Public Radio.

Aug 2, 2024 3:05 PM CDT

DOJ launches corporate whistleblower awards program

The Justice Department on Thursday unveiled a corporate whistleblower pilot program targeting foreign corruption and financial fraud that authorities said could yield billions of dollars in forfeitures each year. Tipsters who are first to provide information of corporate wrongdoing could be eligible for up to 30% of the first $100 million in company forfeitures.

Aug 2, 2024 9:45 AM CDT