Prosecutors

Prosecutors in this city are ‘leaving in droves;’ what’s to blame?

Prosecutors in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City are increasingly leaving their jobs as they struggle with higher workloads attributed to new discovery laws in New York.

Apr 5, 2022 1:36 PM CDT

SCOTUS rules for plaintiff who sued police after prosecutors dropped resisting-arrest charge

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Monday that a plaintiff can pursue his Fourth Amendment lawsuit against police officers for malicious prosecution as long as his prosecution ended without a conviction.

Apr 4, 2022 12:15 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: BigLaw firm settles ‘mommy track’ suit; ban on scraped court data challenged

Morrison & Foerster settles ‘mommy track’ suit Morrison & Foerster has settled with two remaining plaintiffs in a lawsuit contending that the law firm discriminates against lawyer moms. In a joint filing, plaintiffs Sherry William and Joshua Ashley Klayman joined the law firm in a March 22 stipulation of dismissal.…

Apr 1, 2022 3:00 PM CDT

First Gen, Full Circle: Personal tragedies motivate lawyer’s work as a reform prosecutor

I wish I could begin my story with some childhood aspiration like “I wanted to be a lawyer since learning of Thurgood Marshall’s crusades” or “This has been my passion ever since I first saw My Cousin Vinny.” However, the law forced itself into my life in a more direct way. I was born in New Orleans and raised through Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. I was a senior in high school when my father was arrested, convicted and handed a long sentence in state prison that he is still serving today. This traumatic experience left 17-year-old me with a load of emotions and questions that would take years to explore.

Apr 1, 2022 1:50 AM CDT

Judge orders new DNA tests in Adnan Syed murder case featured on ‘Serial’ podcast

A Baltimore judge has ordered new DNA testing of evidence in the murder case against Adnan Syed after his lawyer and Baltimore prosecutors supported additional tests.

Mar 14, 2022 8:33 AM CDT

Lawyer shot and injured by FBI agents admitted orchestrating $300M Ponzi scheme, prosecutor alleges

A lawyer shot and injured by FBI agents last week confessed to orchestrating a $300 million Ponzi scheme, a federal prosecutor told a judge. The lawyer has been charged with assault on a federal officer for allegedly waving a gun at three FBI agents.

Mar 9, 2022 12:39 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Summer associates see higher offer rates; judge won’t dissolve NRA

Offer rates climb for summer associates Offer rates for summer associate spots last year reached their highest mark since 2007, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association for Law Placement. Fifty-eight percent of callback interviews resulted in offers for summer positions, according to the report, Perspectives on…

Mar 4, 2022 2:18 PM CST

Manhattan DA walks back prosecution policies criticized as too lenient

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in New York City on Friday reversed parts of a Jan. 3 memo that directed prosecutors to avoid seeking jail time for some robberies, assaults and gun crimes.

Feb 7, 2022 10:48 AM CST

Top Baltimore prosecutor is indicted for allegedly lying to get money for Florida home purchases

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby was indicted Thursday for allegedly committing perjury and filing false mortgage applications to buy two homes in Florida.

Jan 14, 2022 10:26 AM CST

New database tracks gender-based violence sentencing decisions in the Pacific

“The training not only showed us information about the trends in sentencing decisions, but it definitely got us thinking about a lot of things,” said Loukinikini Vili, a lawyer and the director of human rights at Samoa’s Office of the Ombudsman/National Human Rights Institution.

Dec 9, 2021 8:49 AM CST

Prosecutions of parents of school shooters are ‘almost unheard of’

Prosecutors in Michigan will have to prove that the parents of alleged school shooter Ethan Crumbley were grossly negligent or reckless to obtain a conviction for involuntary manslaughter, experts have told Reuters.

Dec 7, 2021 2:45 PM CST

New prosecutors reopen investigations into deadly police shootings

Progressive prosecutors are reopening investigations of deadly police shootings that resulted in no charges under their predecessors, spurring pushback from police unions.

Dec 2, 2021 11:55 AM CST

Former homicide prosecutor is charged with subpoenaing phone records to stalk women

A former homicide prosecutor in Baltimore is accused in an 88-count indictment of using grand jury subpoenas and other investigative tools to obtain information that he used to stalk two former romantic partners.

Dec 1, 2021 11:20 AM CST

Prosecutorial ethics are getting a fresh look from criminal justice reformers

With the renewed focus on criminal justice reform, ethics complaints involving prosecutors are making the news and taking center stage. Prosecutorial decision-making is often less scrutinized or punished by courts and professional conduct boards. But the stakes are high in criminal cases, and ethics experts say whether they are intentional or negligent, there isn’t enough focus on behind-the-scenes actions in DA offices.

Dec 1, 2021 12:50 AM CST

Judge exonerates Missouri prisoner after 43 years in prison; this law made it possible

A Kansas City, Missouri, man who spent 43 years in prison for a triple murder has been released after a judge ruled Tuesday that he was wrongfully convicted.

Nov 24, 2021 11:55 AM CST