Judging Crimes
"A view of the bench from the trenches," from the standpoint of a longtime prosecutor in a state with a high violent crime rate.
Author: Joel Jacobsen is an assistant attorney general representing the prosecution on appeals in New Mexico and prison wardens in federal habeas corpus actions. He says he has prosecuted 50 murder cases.
Blawg Related Categories: Appellate Practice • Criminal Justice • Prosecutors • Judiciary • Prosecutor
Recent Posts from Judging Crimes
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We're all going on a summer holiday ...
... vigilantes can look for Joel Jacobsen in Archangel, Qom and Santiago. Back next week.
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357. Disposable people
I've always thought of the criminal law as a reflection of society's attitude toward the weak. And even if you weren't weak before you were attacked, there's nothing quite like a bullet to weaken you. …
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356. In the same old voice
It's interesting to note how much a reader reveals about him- or herself by leaving a comment at this blog. For instance, the "difference" feminists, inspired by Carol Gilligan's In a Different Voice, have taught…
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355. The misuses of history
"Historians have long winced at the crude ways that literary scholars and others have wrenched writings out of their historical contexts for aesthetic and other present-minded purposes." That's from Gordon S. Wood's collection of book…
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354. Almost unfair
The end of the Supreme Court's term had me feeling a strange and unexpected emotion: pity. These nine people seem so badly out of their depth that criticizing them seems almost unfair, like making fun…
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Whatever Happened to Justice?
Please pardon the Lemon Pledge smell, but this blog had gotten dusty. I've been away on a top-secret mission but now that the deal has been announced in Publishers Marketplace and the advance check has been…
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353. Unbalanced
While recently clearing a layer of wood-pulp debris from my office ("Don't toss that! It might come in handy some day."), I came across a law review article by Richard D. Friedman, Framer of the current…
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352. Diminished capacities
It's time to pay another visit on Alabama Circuit Judge Stuart Dubose. (See post 191 and post 306.) The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission filed a pretty spectacular complaint, but it was topped by Judge Dubose's…
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351. Legal traditions
In 2003, the Supreme Court sternly set its face against overtly racist policies in the Dallas DA's office. It would no longer tolerate blatant racism in jury selection practices in 1963. (See post 312.) Yesterday the justices just as…
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350. Magical thinking
In the Davis v. Washington decision of a couple years ago (see post 127), Justice Scalia's opinion for the Supreme Court contained a footnote explaining that suppression of evidence under the sixth amendment has no…