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Voters Speak: Dump Tough-On-Crime Prosecutors, Boost Police Oversight
by Dale Chappell
Voters across the nation let their votes speak loud and clear on what they wanted this past Election Day: More reform-minded prosecutors and more oversight and accountability of the police.
In Los Angeles County, George Gascon beat Jackie Lacey for district attorney, after Lacey …
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More from this issue:
- Qualified Immunity - A Legal, Practical, and Moral Failure, by Jay Schweikert
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Suit Challenging Idaho’s Sex Offender Registration Law, by Douglas Ankney
- Column: Raising Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims, by Dale Chappell
- Tenth Circuit Vacates Enhancement for Prior Crime of Violence Because it Wasn’t Independently Eligible to Receive Criminal History Points, by Anthony Accurso
- California Court of Appeal: Trial Court Abused Discretion by Denying Romero Motion and Life Sentence for Attempted Robbery Is Cruel and Unusual Under State Constitution, by Douglas Ankney
- Third Circuit Announces Prohibition Against Second Resentencing Under First Step Act Can Be Waived by Government, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Joins Other Circuits Holding Any Crack Cocaine Offense Under § 841 Qualifies for First Step Act Relief, by Dale Chappell
- California Court of Appeal: Counsel Ineffective for Failure to Investigate Mental Health History, by Douglas Ankney
- Michigan Supreme Court: Police Must Limit Search of Cellphone Data to Uncovering Evidence of the Criminal Activity Alleged in Warrant, by Douglas Ankney
- Fifth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity When Police Fatally Beat Unresisting Man Suffering Mental Health Crisis, by Matthew Clarke
- North Carolina Supreme Court: Superior Court Abused Discretion by Flatly Prohibiting Questions on Racial Bias During Voir Dire, by Douglas Ankney
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Witness Testifying Remotely Via Two-Way Video Without Sufficient Reason Violates Confrontation Clause, by Douglas Ankney
- Fifth Circuit: District Court Cannot Delegate to Probation Officer Authority to Impose Inpatient Treatment, by Douglas Ankney
- Kansas Supreme Court: Wrong Standard Used in Review of Plea Withdrawal Motion Requires Remand, by David Reutter
- Indiana Supreme Court: Speedy Trial Right Violated After 6.5 Years Without Retrial, by Anthony Accurso
- Raid on Data Scientist’s Home Underscores Outdated Technology Laws and Unjustifiable Police Use of Force, by Anthony Accurso
- Nevada Supreme Court: Defendant Has Right to Withdraw Plea Where He Wasn’t Informed of Range of Possible Punishments, by Douglas Ankney
- Voters Speak: Dump Tough-On-Crime Prosecutors, Boost Police Oversight, by Dale Chappell
- Ohio Supreme Court: ‘Avoid Impregnating a Woman’ as Probation Condition for Failing to Pay Child Support Unreasonable, by Dale Chappell
- Texas Supreme Court Announces Factual-Sufficiency Standard of Review in SVP Determinations, by Douglas Ankney
- California Court of Appeal: SB 136 Makes Plea Agreement Containing Prior Prison Enhancement Unenforceable, by Douglas Ankney
- ACLU Spotlights FBI’s Encryption-Breaking Tool in Freedom of Information Suit, by Derek Gilna
- North Carolina Supreme Court: Testimony That Improperly Bolstered Victim’s Credibility Was Plain Error, by Douglas Ankney
- Second Circuit Clarifies What Constitutes ‘Possession of a Dangerous Weapon’ and ‘Physical Restraint’ Under the Guidelines, by Dale Chappell
- Ohio Supreme Court: Jury Must Find Use of Force, Not Sentencing Court, for Mandatory Minimum Sentences, by Anthony Accurso
- San Francisco Forensic Analyst’s Arrest on Drug Charges Exposes Flawed Lab, by Derek Gilna
- Montana Supreme Court: Five-Year Delay Violates Speedy Trial and Is Presumptively Prejudicial, by Douglas Ankney
- SCOTUS: RFRA’s ‘Appropriate Damages’ Includes Monetary Awards, by Douglas Ankney
- First Circuit Joins Sister Circuits Holding Hobbs Act Robbery Conspiracy not Crime of Violence for 924(c), by Dale Chappell
- Fatal Shootings by Police Rarely Prosecuted, by Jayson Hawkins
- Misinformation and the Carceral State, by Jayson Hawkins
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Blood Alcohol Test Results From Blood Drawn Under Court Order but Without Consent Is Inadmissible, by Matthew Clarke
- A 22-Year-Long Path to Justice, by Jayson Hawkins
- Police Departments Buying Teslas, by Anthony Accurso
- Mens Rea: Criminal Liability Should Equal Criminal Intent, by Casey Bastian
- Walter Forbes of Michigan Exonerated After 37 Years in Prison, by Kevin Bliss
- First Circuit: Rehaif Error Rendered Guilty Plea Invalid, by Dale Chappell
- The Need for Legislation Governing Police Use of Robots, by Douglas Ankney
- News in Brief
More from Dale Chappell:
- Arguing Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims, June 1, 2025
- How to Take Your Postconviction Case Directly to the U.S. Supreme Court: A Roadmap to Direct Collateral Review, March 15, 2025
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, Dec. 1, 2024
- Refuting the Government’s Argument Against Nonretroactive Changes in Law as Grounds for Compassionate Release, Oct. 1, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, July 15, 2024
- The Death of the Savings Clause, May 15, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Understanding Second or Successive Petitions for State Prisoners, April 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Relief From Death Penalty, Citing State’s Forfeiture of Argument Against Relief, May 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: The Evidentiary Hearing for Federal Prisoners, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”, March 1, 2026. Criminal justice system reform, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Bail/Pretrial Release, Arrest/Arraignment.
- Report Shows How Prison Gerrymanders Distort Democracy Across U.S., Jan. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Voting, Census, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Voting Rights.
- New York Jury Convicts Former Guard for Robert Brooks’ Taped Killing, Nov. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Criminal justice system reform, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Evidence - Admissibility.
- Jail-Based IGNITE Program Found to Reduce Recidivism, Oct. 1, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Educational Opportunities for Inmates.
- Review: “Reforming the Shadow Carceral State”, Aug. 1, 2025. Reviews, Criminal justice system reform, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Fines.
- Former Prisoner Informant Appointed Deputy Director of BOP, July 15, 2025. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Informants, War on Drugs, Pardons/Clemency, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Trading Guns for Drugs.
- Washington DOC On Hot Seat Over “Unexpected Fatalities,” Missed Autopsies, May 1, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, False Statements/Perjury.
- Nearly 150 Exonerations in 2024 Highlight Persistent Flaws in U.S. Criminal Justice System, April 15, 2025. Criminal justice system reform, Wrongful Conviction.
- GOP Washington Lawmaker Trolls Felon Enfranchisement Proponents, April 1, 2025. Voting, Voting Rights Act, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.





