Ex-Baltimore prosecutor Marilyn Mosby convicted of mortgage fraud

A federal jury on Tuesday convicted the former top prosecutor in Baltimore, Marilyn Mosby, of lying to a mortgage lender in 2021 as she purchased a vacation property in Florida that she called her “private oasis.”

Feb 7, 2024 10:55 AM CST

Qualified immunity shield may depend on size and publication rate of federal appeals court, new report says

Qualified immunity “protects officials too much and our rights too little,” according to a new report by the Institute for Justice based on an analysis of more than 5,500 federal appeals decisions over an 11-year period.

Feb 7, 2024 8:47 AM CST

Mother of Oxford school shooter found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

Jennifer Crumbley, the 45-year-old mother of the Oxford High School shooter, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by an Oakland County jury on Tuesday, after an emotional two-week trial that examined a parent’s culpability for their child’s deadly actions.

Feb 6, 2024 1:55 PM CST

‘Prisons Are Often Horrible Places’: How can Death in Custody Reporting Act be better enforced?

The House of Delegates addressed the national “deaths in custody crisis” during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday.

Feb 5, 2024 5:34 PM CST

Amber Alert system is not working for missing Native Americans, but there may be fixes

At the ABA Midyear Meeting, the House of Delegates acknowledged the disproportionate risks of abduction and violence experienced by members of Alaska Native and Native American communities.

Feb 5, 2024 1:40 PM CST

People convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes should be under gun ban, ABA House urges

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday overwhelmingly passed a resolution urging Congress to pass legislation that would prohibit individuals convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes from obtaining firearms.

Feb 5, 2024 10:45 AM CST

What happens next in Trump’s Georgia election-interference case?

Shortly after Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) admitted in a Friday court filing that she had a personal relationship with the lawyer she appointed to lead the investigation into former president Donald Trump—and had taken vacations with him—the judge overseeing the case dashed off an email to the defense attorney who had first accused Willis of misconduct.

Feb 5, 2024 8:15 AM CST

Judge’s hot tub social media post makes waves with judicial conduct commission; she quotes Cardi B in response

A Las Vegas judge is facing ethics charges partly for a social media photo of herself sporting a bikini while in a hot tub with public defenders. Judge Erika Ballou is facing a misconduct complaint filed by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.

Feb 1, 2024 11:42 AM CST

Indictment accuses judge of using public funds to employ his son, travel, buy couch and alcohol

The presiding judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Lauderdale County, Alabama, has been charged with lying to a grand jury and using public funds for personal purchases and his son’s employment.

Feb 1, 2024 9:12 AM CST

Controversial qualified immunity doctrine faces tests in Louisiana

The U.S. Supreme Court has recently declined to hear cases challenging qualified immunity. But legal scholars believe they’ve found inroads to challenging the judicial doctrine, including a transcription error in the text of an 1871 law.

Feb 1, 2024 12:50 AM CST

Locked in: Criminal justice startups tap into generative AI’s early promise

As two ABA Journal 2022 Legal Rebels build on their lofty ambitions to create a more equitable criminal justice system, they now have another tool at their disposal: generative AI. They have wasted no time in putting it to use.

Feb 1, 2024 12:01 AM CST

Prosecutor in Trump Georgia case settles divorce, heading off testimony

Jan 31, 2024 9:55 AM CST

After bringing criminal charges again Netflix, DA winds up with federal court bad-faith finding

Cuties, a 2020 Netflix film, tells the story of an 11-year old Senegalese girl in France who comes from a devout Muslim family navigating the sometimes provocative culture of modern dance while having a devout Muslim family. Directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, a French filmmaker who like the main character, Amy,…

Jan 31, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Judge orders return of photographed legal documents taken by officers in raid of BLM attorney’s home

A Los Angeles judge has ordered police to return or destroy photographs that they took of legal documents in a search last week of the home of an attorney representing a leader of Black Lives Matter.

Jan 30, 2024 10:48 AM CST

Judge denies Alex Murdaugh request for new trial after jury tampering claims

A judge has denied a request for a new trial from convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, whose defense team had argued that a county clerk tampered with the jury.

Jan 30, 2024 9:55 AM CST