Evidence

Judge presiding over Young Thug trial ordered off the case

The judge overseeing the criminal racketeering case against Young Thug was formally removed from the case Monday amid complaints he and prosecutors held an improper meeting with a key prosecution witness.

Jul 15, 2024 3:06 PM CDT

After lawyers exceed status-letter limit by ‘whopping’ 70 pages, judge sees echoes of fictional Jarndyce case

The handiwork of lawyers who crafted a joint 73-page monthly status letter won’t appear on the federal docket after a magistrate judge noted last week that it was a “whopping” 70 pages over the limit.

Jul 11, 2024 10:36 AM CDT

Lawyer’s conduct must be ‘seriously’ annoying to warrant restraining order, appeals court says

Updated: A lawyer who accused another attorney of yelling and glaring at her, ranting “in an unintelligible manner” and serving her with bogus documents is not entitled to a permanent restraining order, a California appeals court has ruled.

Jul 3, 2024 9:14 AM CDT

Conspirators allegedly tracked juror before leaving $120K cash at her home

Three defendants accused of cheating the government are among five people charged Wednesday with trying to bribe a 23-year-old juror with $120,000 in cash left in a Hallmark gift bag.

Jun 27, 2024 9:23 AM CDT

GOP-run House votes to hold AG Merrick Garland in contempt

The Republican-controlled House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The vote, which passed with an initial tally of 216-207, marks the third time in a dozen years that a sitting attorney general was found in contempt by a majority of House members.

Jun 12, 2024 4:14 PM CDT

Court reporters are fighting back against generative AI

Emerging technologies have threatened court reporters since tape recorders became widely available. Yet they have withstood the challenges of advancing technology despite many courts replacing human court reporters with digital recording equipment. Now, an even more significant challenge presents itself: artificial intelligence.

Jun 1, 2024 2:40 AM CDT

9th Circuit ‘all but ignored’ aggravating factors in death-penalty case, Supreme Court says

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday against an Arizona death row inmate’s quest to change the sentence that he received by presenting additional mitigating evidence about his psychological problems and childhood abuse.

May 30, 2024 1:01 PM CDT

Lawyer convicted in client’s murder in ‘elaborate and shocking sequence of events’

A Southfield, Michigan, lawyer was convicted last week in the June 2022 murder of his client in an alleged plot to gain his money.

May 28, 2024 10:39 AM CDT

Prosecutors excluded Jewish people from juries in one California county for decades, review suggests

Several prosecutors in Alameda County, California, excluded Jewish people from juries in past decades, according to the Alameda County district attorney.

May 14, 2024 3:16 PM CDT

Accused getaway driver, aka ‘Block Da Foo Foo,’ was prejudiced by rap video evidence, Texas court says

A trial judge should not have allowed prosecutors to introduce an accused getaway driver’s rap videos at trial in an effort to show that he was more sophisticated than he claimed to be, the top criminal court in Texas has ruled.

May 9, 2024 9:05 AM CDT

How many cases will be affected by ‘certain anomalies’ in work of DNA analyst? 57 lawyers get notices

A district attorney in Larimer County, Colorado, has notified 57 defense attorneys that their cases may be affected by credibility problems with a retired DNA analyst who worked with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Apr 29, 2024 9:24 AM CDT

Lawyer disbarred for destroying his computer, altering metadata before ethics hearing

A New Hampshire lawyer has been disbarred based on allegations that he destroyed his computer before an ethics hearing and altered metadata to make it appear that he had provided conflict letters to a client when borrowing $275,000 from her.

Apr 25, 2024 10:01 AM CDT

Netflix’s ‘The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker’ smashes the circumstantial evidence argument

Netflix’s The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker tells the story of a man experiencing homelessness, whose rise and fall overshadowed what may have been telltale signs of someone suffering from mental health issues.

Apr 18, 2024 10:08 AM CDT

In New York, top federal prosecutor Damian Williams preaches speedy justice

Federal criminal cases are built on data, and Manhattan U.S Attorney Damian Williams has made a name for himself in law enforcement circles as wanting to modernize how prosecutors get, analyze and use that data.

Apr 10, 2024 12:30 PM CDT

Users Keepers: Pirates, zombies and adverse possession

“Trespassing plus time equals adverse possession,” Paul Golden writes in his new book, Litigating Adverse Possession Cases: Pirates v. Zombies. It’s a concept more popularly discussed as squatter’s rights.

Apr 10, 2024 8:48 AM CDT