Evidence

Attorney charged with theft in fatal car crash case involving college student

The family attorney an 18-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who was killed in a car crash is facing charges for allegedly stealing evidence from the vehicle involved.

Mar 5, 2026 11:34 AM CST

Surveillance footage enters slapstick comedy TV genre, and that could be dangerous, lawyer says

As an attorney, I’m trained to be suspicious of narratives, allergic to absolutes. I’m contractually obligated to ask, “Who consented?” and answer, “It depends.” That makes watching Neighborhood Watch on HBO Max a unique experience.

Mar 4, 2026 3:08 PM CST

Building the case for trial in the last 60 days

Sadly, it is increasingly rare for cases to get to trial. When they do, it is a challenge for any lawyer to get organized in order to avoid the pitfalls. Waiting for the last minute in the vain hope a case may settle is too often a recipe for disaster. Like a good scout, it is better to be prepared.

Dec 24, 2025 8:45 AM CST

‘Am I the Drama?’ What Cardi B can teach the legal profession

When rapper Cardi B released Am I the Drama? just weeks after winning a high-profile assault lawsuit, she turned legal adversity into cultural commentary. From narrative framing and courtroom conduct to trial publicity and client counseling, her experience offers practical lessons for lawyers and law students on managing reputation, evidence and ethics in the court of law and the court of public opinion.

Dec 17, 2025 9:01 AM CST

Justice Dept. says a court ruling is blocking efforts to reindict Comey

Justice Department lawyers said Tuesday that a recent ruling barring their access to key evidence has effectively crippled their efforts to reindict former FBI director James B. Comey, two weeks after their original case against him was dismissed.

Dec 9, 2025 2:44 PM CST

Supreme Court tells state to reconsider screening child victim from defendant

In 2021, a Mississippi jury found Jeffrey Clyde Pitts guilty of sexually abusing his 4-year-old daughter. When the girl testified against her father in court, a screen was placed between her and Pitts to protect her from trauma.

Nov 25, 2025 10:30 AM CST

New Jersey’s top court is first to reject evidence of shaken baby syndrome as unreliable

Testimony that merely shaking a baby can produce internal bleeding near the brain and in the retina is too unreliable for admission in criminal cases of child abuse, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in a 6-1 decision last week.

Nov 25, 2025 9:23 AM CST

Preparing clients for depositions is essential—but easier said than done

Benjamin Franklin said, "By failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail." Sounds wise, but I doubt Benjamin Franklin carried on a busy litigation practice.

Nov 12, 2025 12:21 PM CST

Federal judge’s decision tossing youths’ climate lawsuit had ‘silver lining’

A federal judge had some good news for 22 youths in his Oct. 15 decision dismissing their lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels.

Oct 21, 2025 9:25 AM CDT

Why did SCOTUSblog founder Goldstein bring nearly $1M in cash into US? Explanation won’t be suppressed

Indicted SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein has failed to persuade a federal judge to suppress his statements about nearly $1 million in cash that he was carrying when he entered the United States in October 2018.

Oct 14, 2025 12:52 PM CDT

Donna Adelson’s motion for new trial cites jurors’ TikTok and podcast activities

Alleging potential misconduct, Donna Adelson’s lawyers want to interview two jurors following her Sept. 4 conviction in the murder of a Florida law professor who was her former son-in-law.

Sep 18, 2025 9:54 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: What were the sleeper cases of this SCOTUS term?

As always, the end of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term was filled with important cases that received a great deal of media attention. But the term also had a number of significant decisions that received much less media attention.

Jul 29, 2025 10:56 AM CDT

Special master to decide whether Quinn Emanuel lawyers must contribute to $3M sanction

Updated: A federal judge in San Francisco ordered the payment of nearly $3 million in legal fees to a medical diagnostics company and appointed a special master to determine whether individual lawyers at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan should be at least partly responsible for payment. Senior U.S. District Judge…

Jul 15, 2025 8:45 AM CDT

Reluctant prosecutor can’t ‘manufacture mootness’ or ruin standing for inmate seeking DNA test, SCOTUS says

A Texas death row inmate who wants DNA testing to establish that he wasn’t at a murder scene, although he helped plan a robbery there, has standing to challenge the state law governing testing procedures, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Jun 26, 2025 11:42 AM CDT

Socratic Litigation: Imagining the curious case of the hamstrung hemlock

Did Socrates really die after ingesting that hemlock? Check out Socrates v. the Republic of Greece and Olympus Bigpharm Ltd., decision of the Ancient High Court of Southern Athens, no doubt recently discovered by anthropologist lawyers.

Jun 25, 2025 11:01 AM CDT