Sentencing/Post Conviction

Murder conviction upheld for man who rigged shotgun booby trap to guard his shed

A state appeals court has upheld the murder conviction for a Southwestern Illinois man who was convicted for killing a trespasser with a shotgun booby trap set up inside his shed.

Nov 10, 2022 12:23 PM CST

12-person juries are constitutionally required in serious criminal cases, Gorsuch argues

U.S. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented Monday, when the Supreme Court turned down an appeal that challenges the use of eight-person juries in serious criminal cases.

Nov 8, 2022 9:24 AM CST

Estimated 4.6M Americans can’t vote in midterms because of felony convictions, new report says

The estimated number of people who can’t vote in the United States because of a felony conviction has declined by 24% since 2016, but the total is still large, according to a report released Tuesday by the Sentencing Project.

Oct 28, 2022 9:13 AM CDT

Ban on nonunanimous juries is not retroactive in Louisiana, top state court says

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Friday that inmates convicted by nonunanimous juries can’t challenge their convictions if they were final before the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment required jury unanimity to convict in serious cases—in federal and state courts.

Oct 25, 2022 8:55 AM CDT

Charges are dropped against Adnan Syed of ‘Serial’ podcast fame after further DNA tests

Updated: Additional DNA testing has led prosecutors to drop charges against Adnan Syed, whose murder case was featured on the Serial podcast, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced Tuesday.

Oct 11, 2022 2:16 PM CDT

Biden announces pardons for simple pot possession, tasks DOJ with developing application procedure

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he will pardon people who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal or Washington, D.C., laws. But the procedure won’t be automatic.

Oct 6, 2022 3:15 PM CDT

11th Circuit rules hours after news site writes about 7-year delay

A federal appeals court ruled against a sex offender Monday, hours after a liberal political news and opinion website published an exclusive story about extraordinary delays in his case.

Oct 5, 2022 11:49 AM CDT

Runaway Sentences

Standing in front of a judge, tears in his eyes, Rogel Aguilera-Mederos wanted to say something before being sentenced for killing four people and injuring six others after he lost control of his runaway truck on a Colorado highway. At 26 years old, he was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

Oct 1, 2022 3:00 AM CDT

Lawyer’s son creates podcasts to shine a light on criminal injustice

When Jason Flom was a boy, his father, Joseph, a renowned mergers and acquisitions lawyer, gave him a piece of advice: “Do whatever you want for a living, but make the world a better place because that’s the only success that matters.”

Oct 1, 2022 1:30 AM CDT

Black defendants make up more than 50% of exonerations since 1989, new report says

People who are Black comprise 13.6% of the population in the United States but 53% of exonerations from the past 33 years, according to a new report released Tuesday by the National Registry of Exonerations. The report shows Black people are overrepresented among exonerations for all serious crimes except white-collar crimes.

Sep 26, 2022 11:01 PM CDT