Sentencing/Post Conviction

Afternoon Briefs: Supreme Court to hear juvenile sentencing case; Led Zeppelin wins ‘Stairway’ fight

Supreme Court takes another case over juvenile life-without-parole sentences The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to determine if the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment requires the court to find a juvenile “permanently incorrigible” before giving him or her the sentence of life in prison without parole. Brett…

Mar 9, 2020 5:05 PM CDT

Convicted murderer eligible for parole after judge misapplies state law, court says

The Arizona Supreme Court said on Thursday a man sentenced to prison for life will be eligible for parole, despite a state law that eliminated the privilege in 1993.

Mar 6, 2020 12:29 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: DC Circuit blocks McGahn testimony; lawyer utters word rarely used at SCOTUS

DC Circuit tosses suit for McGahn congressional testimony A federal appeals court has tossed a lawsuit seeking to compel congressional testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the House Judiciary Committee was asking the court to settle…

Feb 28, 2020 4:43 PM CST

Murder conviction tossed after prosecutor conducts background check on only black juror

A New Jersey appeals court has overturned a murder conviction after the prosecutor conducted a criminal background check on the only black person among the potential jurors, resulting in an arrest.

Feb 26, 2020 3:51 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Sotomayor sees ‘pall of uncertainty’ in capital case; judge backs park proselytizing

Death-row inmate’s conviction has ‘pall of uncertainty,’ Sotomayor says Justice Sonia Sotomayor expressed concern on Monday about a “pall of uncertainty” over the conviction of Texas death-row inmate Rodney Reed. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Reed’s appeal, spurring Sotomayor’s statement in which she noted Texas courts are considering…

Feb 24, 2020 4:55 PM CST

Roger Stone gets 40-month sentence after Justice Department clashed with prosecution team

A federal judge sentenced Roger Stone to 40 months in prison Thursday, less than the seven-to-nine-year sentence initially recommended by prosecutors.

Feb 20, 2020 12:46 PM CST

Some Tennessee death-row inmates opt for electric chair over lethal injections

A Tennessee inmate scheduled for execution Thursday evening has chosen the electric chair over lethal injection.

Feb 20, 2020 12:29 PM CST

New podcast from ‘Making a Murderer’ lawyers sheds light on false confessions

Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions is a new podcast hosted by two of the nation’s foremost experts in the field, Steve Drizin and Laura Nirider, law professors and co-directors of Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions. The new series was born from their experience on the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer.

Feb 19, 2020 2:22 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Trump’s ‘clemency blitz’ helps Blago; federal judges to discuss Roger Stone case

President Trump goes on a ‘clemency blitz,’ and the list is long President Donald Trump has pardoned junk bond king Michael Milken, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. in what the Associated Press calls a “clemency blitz.” Milken…

Feb 18, 2020 4:37 PM CST

9 senators call for attorney general’s resignation after DOJ intervenes in Roger Stone’s sentencing

Nine U.S. senators signed a letter Friday demanding that U.S. Attorney General William Barr resign because of his intervention in the criminal case against Roger Stone, a former adviser for President Donald Trump.

Feb 14, 2020 3:37 PM CST

Virginia is poised to broaden parole in move watched by other states

Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill that would allow parole for hundreds of inmates, the first in a series of parole-expansion bills expected to win approval since the state largely banned parole.

Feb 14, 2020 3:08 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Some of Justice Scalia’s papers are now public; House lifts ERA deadline

Some of Justice Scalia’s papers are now publicly available The legal and academic papers of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia are now available for public viewing, at the Harvard Law School Library. The collection includes photos, postcards and notes, too. The library plans to release the collection…

Feb 13, 2020 3:27 PM CST

Federal prosecutors resign after DOJ overrules them and seeks shorter sentence for Roger Stone

Updated: The U.S. Department of Justice is overruling federal prosecutors who sought a sentence of seven to nine years in prison on Monday for political consultant Roger Stone, a former adviser to President Donald Trump.

Feb 11, 2020 3:41 PM CST

Prisons tout video visitation’s convenience, but families say they’re overpaying for bad service

Advocates for lower phone and video rates in prisons and jails say companies are profiting from people’s desperation to stay in touch. When these services don’t work as promised, many have limited consumer protections to advocate for more favorable prices.

Feb 5, 2020 4:04 PM CST

New lawsuits by transgender people challenge bans on name changes for those convicted of crimes

Alexandra Carson thought the interview had gone well. Her experience managing a restaurant more than qualified her for the server position at a buffet chain near her rural Texas home, she said, and the friendly conversation made her feel like the job was secure. But the hiring manager’s demeanor changed…

Feb 5, 2020 3:58 PM CST