More from this issue:

1. No-Knock Warrants Leave Trail of Terror, Property Damage, and Deaths, by David Reutter
2. A Primer on Overcriminalization, by David Reutter
3. Eighth Circuit Vacates Habeas Denial, Remands to Determine Whether ‘Martinez Exception’ Excused Procedural Default by State Prisoner, by Dale Chappell
4. Seventh Circuit: Federal Habeas Relief for State Prisoner Due to Counsel’s Failure to Raise No-Causation Defense, by Dale Chappell
5. Federal Habeas Corpus: Filing Procedures, by Dale Chappell
6. The Parole App Trap, by Jayson Hawkins
7. Seventh Circuit Vacates Sentence Where District Court Improperly Imposed Leadership Enhancement, by Douglas Ankney
8. Fourth Circuit: Police Request for ID Outside Valid Terry Stop Unconstitutional, by Anthony Accurso
9. New Jersey Police Union Contracts Laden With Financial Largesse, by Casey Bastian
10. D.C. Circuit Highlights Racial Disparity Concerns With First Step Act After District Court Erroneously Denies Relief, by Dale Chappell
11. D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, by Derek Gilna
12. Seventh Circuit Exercises Supervisory Powers in Reversing District Court’s Judgment Revoking Supervised Release, by Douglas Ankney
13. Seventh Circuit: District Court Retains Jurisdiction When Habeas Petitioner Moves to Prison Outside of District, by Dale Chappell
14. Iowa Supreme Court Announces Brady Standard Applies to Motion for New Trial Based on Withheld Exculpatory Medical Records, by Douglas Ankney
15. Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws Prompts Class Action Lawsuit, by Casey Bastian
16. Tech Company Enables Surveillance, by Jayson Hawkins
17. Michigan State Police Reverse on Use of Messaging App That Can Evade FOIA Requests, by Douglas Ankney
18. Wyoming Supreme Court: District Court Abused Discretion by Granting State’s Dismissal of Charges Without Prejudice and Refiling to Gain Tactical Advantage, Remands for Dismissal With Prejudice, by Douglas Ankney
19. Fourth Circuit: Employment Restriction for Supervised Release Overbroad and Impermissible Delegation of Power to Probation, by Dale Chappell
20. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Good Faith Exception Inapplicable to Unsworn Search Warrant, by Anthony Accurso
21. Arkansas Supreme Court: Unborn Child Not a ‘Person’ Under Sentencing Enhancement Scheme, by Anthony Accurso
22. New Jersey Appellate Court Holds Defendant Entitled to Source Code of Novel Probabilistic Genotyping Software Upon Showing of Particularized Need, by Douglas Ankney
23. Orwellian Fusion Centers Are Watching You, by Casey Bastian
24. Utah Supreme Court: Appeal of Plea in Justice Court Doesn’t Vacate Judgment, by David Reutter
25. California Court of Appeal: Prisoners Are Not Required to Serve ‘Thompson Terms’ After Grant of Parole Under Elderly Parole Program, by Douglas Ankney
26. North Carolina Supreme Court Reverses Embezzlement Convictions for Failure to Hold Competency Hearing After Mid-Trial Suicide Attempt, Involuntary Commitment, by Matthew Clarke
27. Surveillance and the City, by Jayson Hawkins
28. New York Court of Appeals Rejects Federal Jurisprudence Allowing Searches of Vehicles Based on Warrants Authorizing Searches of ‘Premises’, by Douglas Ankney
29. Fifth Circuit: Anonymous Tip Didn’t Provide Reasonable Suspicion to Conduct Investigatory Stop, by Douglas Ankney
30. Ohio Supreme Court: Imposing Two Punishments for One Quantity of Mixture of Heroin and Fentanyl Violates Double Jeopardy, by Douglas Ankney
31. Illinois Study: Crime Rate not Tied to Prison Population Levels, by Kevin Bliss
32. Ninth Circuit: State’s Forced Medication Order Was Properly Challenged Under Federal Habeas Corpus, by Dale Chappell
33. Ninth Circuit Announces Police Inserting Key in Car Door to Determine Vehicle Ownership Constitutes Search Overruling Circuit Precedent, by Anthony Accurso
34. Tracking Browser History, by Jayson Hawkins
35. All Bark but No Bite, by Douglas Ankney
36. News in Brief
37. Socially Unacceptable New York Cops, by Edward Lyon
38. New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Adoption of Framework for Evaluating Discovery Motions Challenging Warrant Affidavits Based on Unidentified Confidential Informants, by Douglas Ankney

More from Douglas Ankney:

• The Dramatic Increase in the Elderly Prison Population Is Fiscally and Morally Irresponsible, Oct. 1, 2026
• Second Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity but Clarifies that 14th Amendment ‘Objective Reasonableness’ Is Standard of Review for Pretrial Detainee’s Claim of Sexual Abuse, Oct. 1, 2026
• California Supreme Court Announces Totality-of-Circumstances Framework Focused on Defendant’s Subjective Understanding Under § 1473.7(a)(1), Holding Immigration Consequences Advisement Is Relevant but Not Dispositive, Oct. 1, 2026
• Idaho Supreme Court Holds Conflicting Affidavits About Plea Acceptance Require Evidentiary Hearing on Ineffective-Assistance Claim, Oct. 1, 2026
• Tenth Circuit Vacates Award of Costs to Prison Officials, Revives Prisoner’s Claim Alleging Denial of Access to Functioning Toilets and Exposure to Other Prisoners’ Feces, Oct. 1, 2026
• Second Circuit Vacates Above-Guidelines Firearm-Trafficking Sentence Based on Failure to Assist Law Enforcement and Unexplained Reliance on Factors Already Included in Guidelines Range, Sept. 1, 2026
• Ninth Circuit Reverses Convictions, Holding Requirement That Defendant Testify Before Displaying Hand Tattoos Violates Fifth Amendment, Sept. 1, 2026
• Ohio Supreme Court Announces Postconviction DNA-Testing Orders Need Only Identify Statutory Reason to Satisfy R.C. 2953.73(D) “Reasons” Requirement, Sept. 1, 2026
• Federal Court Upholds Consultants’ Finding that Oklahoma Is Not Honoring Its Consent Decree to Provide Mental Health Treatment, Sept. 1, 2026
• Idaho Legislature Moves to Hide Execution Protocol from Judicial Scrutiny, Sept. 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• Seventh Circuit Announces Generic Conspiracy Under U.S.S.G. § 4B1.2 Requires Bilateral Agreement, Holding Indiana Conspiracy Convictions Cannot Qualify as Crimes of Violence, Sept. 1, 2026. Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Qualifying Offenses, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Predicate Acts/Offenses.
• U.S. Sentencing Commission: 2026 Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, June 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Alternative Sentencing, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Multiple/Multiplicious Counts, Drug Quantity.
• First Circuit Vacates Drug Courier’s Sentence, Holding District Court Erred by Failing to Conduct Proper Comparative Culpability Analysis Under § 3B1.2 When It Excluded Other Participants in Drug Shipment From Universe of Comparators, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Appellate Jurisdiction/Review, Sentencing Findings, Relevant Conduct.
• Eighth Circuit Announces Presidential Commutation Does Not Moot Challenge to Underlying Sentence, Jan. 1, 2026. Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Qualifying Offenses, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Authority and Jurisdiction.
• First Circuit Clarifies Mitigating Role Analysis – Sentencing Courts Must Consider All Identifiable Participants in Drug Shipment, Not Just Crew Members, and Use § 3B1.2 Factors to Assess Relative Culpability, Not Guilt, Dec. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
• California Supreme Court Announces Judgment Not Considered Final Under Estrada for Retroactive Application of Amended Gang Enhancement Statute When Conviction Affirmed on Appeal but Sentencing Issues Remain Pending Following Remand, Oct. 15, 2025. Retroactivity, Essential Elements of Crime, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Authority and Jurisdiction, Remands/Rehearings/Resentencings.
• U.S. Sentencing Commission Adopts 2025 Amendments 
to Resolve Circuit Conflicts, Aug. 1, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Criminal History, Arrest/Arraignment, Sentence Enhancements/Departures.
• First Circuit Announces What Constitutes ‘Otherwise Using’ 
a Dangerous Weapon for Purposes of the Four-Level 
Enhancement Under Guidelines § 2B3.1(a), May 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Probation, Sentence Enhancements/Departures.
• Fourth Circuit: District Court Erred in Imposing ‘Managerial Role’ Enhancement Under Guidelines § 3B1.1(b) Without Making ‘Particularized Findings’ Regarding Scope of Criminal Activity and Number of Participants as Required by Guidelines §1B1.1, April 15, 2025. Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Joint Participant, Scope/Standard of Review.
• Fifth Circuit Announces Definition of ‘Controlled Substance’ in Effect at Time of Current Sentencing Applies for Purposes of Career-Offender Enhancement, Not Definition at Time of Prior Sentencings, March 15, 2025. Controlled Substances, Career Offenders, Sentence Enhancements/Departures.