Prosecutors

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 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

Victim advocate fired after copying district attorney’s office on ‘panties’ email

A victim advocate in the San Francisco district attorney’s office was fired Friday for sending an email copied to the entire office that read, “What color panties you have on.”

Jan 30, 2024 9:50 AM CST

Prosecutors are ‘quitting in droves,’ and it’s bad news for defendants, law prof says

Prosecutors are “quitting in droves,” while the offices that employ them are getting a fraction of the applications that they have in the past, according to a law professor who studied the problem.

Jan 26, 2024 8:57 AM CST

A bitter divorce battle could determine future of Trump Georgia case

The future of the election-interference case against former President Donald Trump in Georgia could hinge on a bitter divorce case playing out here in the suburbs of Atlanta involving the Trump case’s lead prosecutor, his estranged wife, and the testimony she is seeking from her husband’s boss and alleged “paramour,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis.

Jan 24, 2024 9:30 AM CST

SCOTUS will hear death row inmate’s wrongful-conviction claim supported by state attorney general

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip is entitled to reversal of his conviction because the state suppressed evidence that a co-defendant who implicated Glossip had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Jan 22, 2024 1:04 PM CST

Defendant with sleeping lawyer entitled to new trial, ‘emerging adults’ entitled to parole possibility, top state court rules

A murder defendant whose lawyer slept during parts of the trial was denied his right to counsel under the state constitution, entitling him to a new trial, the top court in Massachusetts has ruled.

Jan 16, 2024 1:21 PM CST

Will ‘bombshell’ allegations of romance between Georgia DA, special prosecutor lead to tossed charges?

A co-defendant in the Georgia racketeering case against former President Donald Trump is seeking to have the case tossed because of an alleged relationship between the special prosecutor and the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney who appointed him.

Jan 11, 2024 12:34 PM CST

Florida prosecutor ousted by DeSantis gets chance to prove First Amendment claims

Ousted Hillsborough County, Florida, State Attorney Andrew Warren is getting a chance to seek reinstatement on First Amendment grounds as a result of a federal appeals court’s ruling Wednesday.

Jan 11, 2024 8:53 AM CST

Visiting BigLaw attorney gets prison sentence for insider trading

A Brazilian lawyer has been sentenced to two months in prison for trading on inside information that he obtained while working as a visiting attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C.

Dec 21, 2023 3:03 PM CST

Was Jack Smith’s appointment unconstitutional? He has no more authority than Taylor Swift, amicus brief argues

Special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional, leaving him powerless to obtain a quick U.S. Supreme Court decision on immunity claims by former President Donald Trump, according to an amicus brief signed by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese and two law professors.

Dec 21, 2023 2:21 PM CST

Child-porn prosecution of Netflix for ‘Cuties’ film looks like ‘mosaic’ of bad faith, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has upheld a judge’s preliminary injunction barring a Texas child-pornography prosecution of Netflix for streaming the movie Cuties, agreeing with a Netflix lawyer that the case looks like a “mosaic” of bad faith.

Dec 21, 2023 9:35 AM CST

Prosecutor accused of sexual relationship with defendant, staging naked photos while she slept

Updated: A former Illinois prosecutor is facing an ethics complaint that accuses him of secretly taking nude photos of a sleeping woman with whom he was having a sexual relationship, staging the photos to include his penis near her body and on her head.

Dec 20, 2023 3:51 PM CST

Thieves sought lesser charge because stolen items were on sale; it’s not ‘some defense shenanigan,’ lawyer says

Two men convicted of felony theft this month for stealing from a Kohl’s in Parker, Colorado, had argued that they should have been charged with a misdemeanor because some of the stolen goods were on sale.

Dec 14, 2023 1:30 PM CST

Meet Peter Park, possibly youngest person to pass California bar

At 18 years old, Peter Park is already working as an assistant district attorney in Tulare County, California. Park was only 17 years old when he passed the California bar exam on his first try.

Dec 12, 2023 9:21 AM CST