Sixth Amendment

Poker-playing SCOTUSblog founder has net worth of negative $3.3M, criminal court document says

SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein

Feb 6, 2025 3:21 PM CST

Should defendants without court-appointed lawyers be released? Should charges be dropped? Judge weighs remedies

A Maine judge is considering how to remedy the state’s failure to provide lawyers to indigent defendants on a timely basis.

Jan 27, 2025 3:06 PM CST

Despite lyrics mistake by AI, lawyer wasn’t ineffective for using tech in rapper’s case, federal judge says

A federal judge has refused to grant a new trial in a case of a rapper convicted for using straw donors in a back-channel lobbying campaign, despite evidence of a mistake by an artificial intelligence program used to help draft closing arguments.

Sep 3, 2024 12:09 PM CDT

Judge who cut bail for man linked to later fatal arson had cited his right to counsel

Updated: A judge in Maine is being blamed for reducing bail for a man who was later shot and killed in a standoff with police on Saturday after he allegedly set a fire that killed a person.

Jun 17, 2024 3:31 PM CDT

Citing ‘Sixth Amendment nightmare,’ 9th Circuit allows pretrial release of defendants without lawyers

A federal appeals court upheld an injunction Friday that requires Oregon to release pretrial defendants from custody if they have not received a lawyer within seven days.

Jun 4, 2024 2:06 PM CDT

Judiciary ‘has no power to unimpeach,’ federal judge says while citing Dr. Seuss

A federal judge has tossed former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s pro se lawsuit seeking the right to run for political office, despite his impeachment and conviction, saying the complaint is “riddled with problems” and is an “Issue-Spotting Wonderland.”

Mar 26, 2024 8:57 AM CDT

Only 1 out of 5 defendants in this Mississippi county get court-appointed lawyers before indictment

The right to counsel is “tenuous” in a small Mississippi justice court in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, where two judges appointed lawyers for felony defendants in only 20% of the cases opened in 2022, according to an investigative report.

Feb 27, 2024 8:22 AM CST

Face masks at trial didn’t violate confrontation right of officer accused of bathroom assault, 4th Circuit rules

The Sixth Amendment right to confrontation wasn’t violated when a judge required witnesses to wear face masks in the trial of a former Logan, West Virginia, police officer accused of violating the civil rights of a public intoxication arrestee, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jan 16, 2024 3:40 PM CST

Defendant with sleeping lawyer entitled to new trial, ‘emerging adults’ entitled to parole possibility, top state court rules

A murder defendant whose lawyer slept during parts of the trial was denied his right to counsel under the state constitution, entitling him to a new trial, the top court in Massachusetts has ruled.

Jan 16, 2024 1:21 PM CST

Did Trump lawyers flub by failing to request jury trial in civil fraud case?

Former President Donald Trump has told reporters that it was “very unfair” that he didn’t have a jury trial in the civil fraud case alleging that he inflated the value of his properties in statements to insurers and banks.

Oct 4, 2023 10:36 AM CDT

Federal judge orders release of county’s unrepresented defendants, says problem is ‘complete tragedy’

A federal judge in Eugene, Oregon, has ruled that defendants held without lawyers for 10 days in Washington County, Oregon’s jail must be released from custody.

Aug 18, 2023 11:40 AM CDT

Black lawyer alleges he was wearing handcuffs as judge pressed him to settle or produce documents

A Black lawyer who is a former pro football player has sued a Pennsylvania judge for allegedly ordering the lawyer’s arrest and having him hauled into court in shackles, where the lawyer was presented with a stark choice.

Aug 15, 2023 3:47 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: $10.3B ‘forever chemicals’ deal announced; data-breach suit against Cadwalader dropped

3M agrees to settle ‘forever chemicals’ cases for $10.3B 3M, a multinational conglomerate corporation and a maker of chemicals, has agreed to pay $10.3 billion to settle claims by municipalities that its “forever chemicals” contaminated drinking water. The chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are used in products that include firefighting…

Jun 23, 2023 3:15 PM CDT

Lawyer’s racist and anti-Muslim rants on social media entitle defendant to new trial, court rules

The top court in Massachusetts has granted a new trial to a Black, Muslim defendant whose appointed lawyer expressed “vitriolic hatred” and racism in social media posts. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted a new trial for Anthony J. Dew in a June 15 opinion. Dew was represented by court-appointed…

Jun 16, 2023 4:10 PM CDT

Supreme Court rules for prosecutors in venue case that might have influenced Trump charging decision

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a criminal defendant can be retried in a new venue if the first trial was held in the wrong place.

Jun 15, 2023 12:36 PM CDT