Sentencing/Post Conviction

Biden commutes 37 of 40 federal death sentences before Trump takes office

President Joe Biden on Monday is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life without parole, taking the unprecedented step ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, whose incoming administration is widely expected to restart executions.

Dec 23, 2024 9:25 AM CST

Poll: Which ABA Journal magazine cover from 2024 was your favorite?

We covered a wide array of diverse, in-depth and hard-hitting legal topics at the ABA Journal this year.

Dec 20, 2024 10:35 AM CST

Biden commutes nearly 1,500 sentences in ‘largest single-day grant of clemency’

President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 more convicted of nonviolent crimes, the White House said in a statement Thursday, describing it as “the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”

Dec 12, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Must Hunter Biden’s indictment be dismissed after presidential pardon? Special counsel doesn’t think so

The special counsel’s office is opposing motions to dismiss the tax-fraud and gun indictments against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, arguing that a presidential pardon does not require it.

Dec 3, 2024 12:48 PM CST

In ‘stunning fall from grace,’ med-mal lawyer is convicted of trying to extort medical system for $25M

A medical-malpractice lawyer once regarded as a top plaintiff’s attorney in Maryland was convicted of attempted extortion Friday, a day after a federal judge found him in contempt and ordered his detention overnight for violating court orders while representing himself.

Nov 27, 2024 8:50 AM CST

Presumed vindictiveness of increased sentence imposed by federal judge requires do-over, 4th Circuit says

A federal judge who increased a sentence of probation by six years after a drug defendant’s successful sentencing appeal will have to try again, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Nov 26, 2024 9:19 AM CST

Appeals judge told state attorney how to handle resentencing while badmouthing others, texts indicate

A Florida appeals judge who obtained a 2004 murder conviction of an alleged gang leader texted advice to the Miami-Dade, Florida, state attorney handling his resentencing while “denigrating defense attorneys and badmouthing local judges,” according to the Miami Herald.

Nov 12, 2024 11:34 AM CST

Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty in tumultuous YSL case; judge delivers a sentencing twist

The long, drama-ridden criminal racketeering and gang conspiracy trial of rapper Young Thug that began nearly two years ago ended on an abrupt note Thursday as the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop star reached a surprise plea deal in the case amid threats of a mistrial that could have started proceedings all over again.

Nov 1, 2024 8:55 AM CDT

Former Moody’s GC gets prison time for tax-filing failure on $54M income while life ‘all fell apart’

Updated: The former general counsel at the Moody's Corp., a financial services company, was sentenced to eight months in prison last week for failing to file tax returns while earning $54 million.

Oct 29, 2024 9:06 AM CDT

From behind bars, to passing the bar

Each state sets its own rules for formerly incarcerated people who want to practice law. In Kansas, Mississippi and Texas, for example, no one with a felony can practice law. But even for those who live in less restrictive states, there are other hurdles to overcome.

Oct 29, 2024 8:42 AM CDT

DA requests resentencing for Menendez brothers, opening path to release

The Los Angeles district attorney’s office announced on Thursday that it will request the resentencing of Erik and Lyle Menendez, a pair of brothers sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for killing their parents, after new evidence emerged backing the brothers’ defense that they were physically and sexually abused by their father.

Oct 25, 2024 8:20 AM CDT

Ex-BigLaw partner hit with prison time, $4.2M restitution order in tax case

A former partner at Husch Blackwell and Dykema Gossett has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two misdemeanors for failing to pay $2.46 million in taxes.

Oct 18, 2024 9:35 AM CDT

No Small Matter

An unfortunate case of mistaken identity has had years of repercussions for one man and inspired a group of law students to try to correct what they see as a miscarriage of justice. It was a long shot. Innocence clinics usually don’t work with clients convicted of minor offenses.

Oct 1, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Death row inmate held in solitary confinement for 26 years can sue, federal appeals court rules

A death row inmate with a known history of serious mental illness can sue Pennsylvania’s corrections chief for holding him in solitary confinement for 26 years, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Sep 26, 2024 9:22 AM CDT

Man gets prison time for attorney-fraud scheme that targeted some BigLaw firms

A North Carolina man convicted in an attorney-fraud scheme has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay more than $22.5 million in restitution to 73 victims, including four BigLaw firms.

Sep 24, 2024 10:13 AM CDT