Evidence

New York attorney general asks court to hold Trump in civil contempt, fine him $10K per day

New York Attorney General Letitia James has asked a state court judge to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt and fine him $10,000 per day until he turns over subpoenaed documents in her civil probe of his business.

Apr 7, 2022 2:44 PM CDT

Prosecutors in this city are ‘leaving in droves;’ what’s to blame?

Prosecutors in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City are increasingly leaving their jobs as they struggle with higher workloads attributed to new discovery laws in New York.

Apr 5, 2022 1:36 PM CDT

SCOTUS should not restrict counsel’s investigations in death penalty cases, ABA says

In an amicus brief filed Monday, the ABA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm that counsel representing habeas petitioners should be able to investigate new evidence without first proving that the evidence will provide relief to their clients.

Apr 5, 2022 9:34 AM CDT

Duped: New book explores what makes people confess to crimes they didn’t commit

Hanging on a wall in Saul Kassin’s office at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City are photos of 28 people who confessed to crimes they didn’t commit. He periodically updates this collection, which he calls his “wall of faces,” as more false confessions come to light. Kassin has written a new book exploring this phenomenon, Duped: Why Innocent People Confess and Why We Believe Their Confessions.

Apr 1, 2022 1:40 AM CDT

Trump and law prof likely ‘dishonestly conspired’ to block election vote count, judge says

A federal judge in California said Monday it is “more likely than not” that a former Chapman University law professor and former President Donald Trump “dishonestly conspired” to obstruct Congress in its certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

Mar 28, 2022 3:00 PM CDT

JusticeText wins pitch competition at SXSW

JusticeText, a technology platform that assists public defenders with processing video and audio evidence, recently won a pitch competition at the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. The creators of JusticeText were featured as 2022 Legal Rebels by the ABA Journal in February.

Mar 21, 2022 10:30 AM CDT

May jurors see 3D defense reenactment of alleged crime? Judge appears reluctant to allow it

A Florida judge on Friday appeared reluctant to allow jurors to wear virtual reality goggles that illustrate the findings of an expert witness for the defense in an attempted murder case.

Mar 14, 2022 9:38 AM CDT

Judge orders new DNA tests in Adnan Syed murder case featured on ‘Serial’ podcast

A Baltimore judge has ordered new DNA testing of evidence in the murder case against Adnan Syed after his lawyer and Baltimore prosecutors supported additional tests.

Mar 14, 2022 8:33 AM CDT

Lawyer accused of shooting arrows, gun at ex-girlfriend’s law office loses civil appeal

A disbarred California lawyer accused of shooting a crossbow and gun into his ex-girlfriend’s law office building has failed to overturn a $2.2 million judgment against him.

Mar 7, 2022 12:33 PM CST

SCOTUS rules against Muslims who sued over FBI spying, holds state secrets privilege applies

A federal law that allows a remedy for those illegally subjected to electronic surveillance does not displace the common-law state secrets privilege, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Mar 4, 2022 12:10 PM CST

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber got a fair trial, Supreme Court rules in reinstating his capital sentence

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people, wounded 260 others and led to the fatal shooting of a police officer.

Mar 4, 2022 10:39 AM CST

Illinois teen was coerced into false confession, family says; was unique state law violated?

An Illinois law that took effect in January bars police from lying to minors during interrogations, but it didn’t help a wrongfully accused juvenile, his lawyer says. Martell Williams, 15, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery after he confessed in February to shooting a Dollar General clerk in…

Feb 28, 2022 9:15 AM CST

Lawyer deemed an ‘overzealous advocate’ is suspended for altering photos of police lineups

The Florida Supreme Court has suspended a Miami criminal defense lawyer for altering photos of police lineups that were shown to a robbery victim during a deposition.

Feb 23, 2022 2:00 PM CST

Shortage of forensic pathologists, coupled with COVID-19, has caused major delays in cases

In May 2019, a married man was worried that his lover was going to tell his wife about their affair. He entered her home and shot her in the head while she slept. The victim, Dominique Clayton, was a mother of four children. Her 8-year-old son found her body when…

Feb 1, 2022 2:10 AM CST

NYC firm has taken the unusual step of hiring a psychologist to assist clients and lawyers

It is not uncommon for law firms to contract with jury consultants and other professionals knowledgeable about litigation to assess how witnesses are being perceived and how they may want to present themselves. But Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler leaders call the decision to hire a psychologist as a member of the firm’s staff a unique initiative.

Feb 1, 2022 1:50 AM CST