Sentencing/Post Conviction

Ex-lawyer Alex Murdaugh, already convicted of murder, pleads guilty to state charges for stealing from clients

Disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh pleaded guilty Friday to 22 state charges for stealing millions of dollars from personal injury clients, a deal that calls for a 27-year sentence.

Nov 20, 2023 12:25 PM CST

Keramet Reiter helps build in-prison education programs in California

Keramet Reiter has spent countless hours inside prisons, working with individuals who are incarcerated and studying the impact of prison and punishment policies on them, their communities and the legal system. As part of her work, Reiter has focused on expanding access to in-prison education programs.

Nov 9, 2023 10:02 AM CST

‘Plenty of punishment’ judge faces ethics hearing for reversing rape conviction after questioning sentence

Updated: An Illinois judge is facing a disciplinary hearing this week that focuses on his decision to reverse a sexual assault conviction that he imposed in a bench trial allegedly because he did not want to impose a mandatory prison sentence.

Nov 7, 2023 2:58 PM CST

Prisons are restricting books in the name of combating drug smuggling

A book is not always just a book. Volunteers who mail books to people in prison said they see proof of that in the requests they get every day. A sign language dictionary for a man whose child was losing their hearing meant connection to family. Books for a woman taking a course behind bars was her path to a degree. A Buddhist workbook was comfort for a man on death row.

Oct 20, 2023 9:02 AM CDT

Wrongfully convicted man urges criminal justice reform at final day of Clio Cloud Conference

More than 20 years ago, Brian Banks was wrongfully convicted of rape, delaying his dream of becoming a professional football player. At his keynote address at the Clio Cloud Conference on Tuesday morning, Banks urged the audience of lawyers and legal professionals to embrace reforms to create a fairer and more just system for people entangled in the criminal justice system.

Oct 10, 2023 1:04 PM CDT

MacArthur grant winners include 2 law profs and democracy lawyer, all Yale Law grads

Updated: A democracy lawyer and legal scholars studying global migration and incarceration practices will each receive $800,000 after being named 2023 MacArthur Foundation fellows.

Oct 4, 2023 3:21 PM CDT

Judge rejects life sentence for drug dealer who sold fentanyl-laced cocaine that killed BigLaw associate

Updated: A drug dealer has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for delivering cocaine laced with fentanyl to a BigLaw associate and two other New York City professionals, resulting in their deaths.

Oct 3, 2023 9:21 AM CDT

Meddling clerk ‘betrayed her oath of office’ in Alex Murdaugh murder case, new-trial motion alleges

The elected court clerk in the murder trial of disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh warned jurors about defense testimony, met privately with a jury foreperson, and “invented a story” about a Facebook post that got a juror removed, according to allegations in a motion for a new trial.

Sep 6, 2023 12:49 PM CDT

Lawyer sentenced for using unaware plaintiffs to file hundreds of disability suits

A lawyer accused of filing nearly 300 lawsuits on behalf of two people who weren’t clients has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Aug 10, 2023 1:03 PM CDT

Florida’s governor suspends another elected prosecutor, citing neglect of duty to prosecute

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Wednesday that suspends a second elected prosecutor from office, citing actions that she took to avoid triggering mandatory minimum sentences.

Aug 10, 2023 9:20 AM CDT

Famous forensic scientist says he had ‘no motive nor reason’ to fabricate evidence

A forensic scientist who became famous after his testimony in the O.J. Simpson murder trial is defending his earlier work after a federal judge found him liable in a wrongful conviction lawsuit by two men who spent 30 years in prison before their exoneration.

Jul 28, 2023 9:35 AM CDT