More from this issue:

1. Blue Lies Matter, by Nia T. Evans
2. Missouri Supreme Court: Witness’ Two-Way Live Video Feed Testimony Violates Confrontation Clause, by Jacob Barrett
3. Federal Habeas Corpus: Jurisdictional Pitfalls When Seeking Habeas Relief, by Dale Chappell
4. New Jersey Supreme Court: Description of Race and Gender of Robbery Suspects, Without More, Doesn’t Constitute Reasonable Suspicion for Investigatory Traffic Stop of Black Motorists, by Mark Wilson
5. Commentary: Attacking the Guilty Plea—Court Cautions More Time Possible in Child Porn Case if Post-Conviction Motion Successful, by Dale Chappell
6. SCOTUS: No Procedural-Default Exceptions to Excuse Federal Habeas Evidentiary Hearing Bar, by Dale Chappell
7. Ohio Supreme Court: Constitutionality of Indeterminate Sentence Under Reagan Tokes Law May Be Challenged on Direct Appeal, by David M. Reutter
8. Idaho Supreme Court: Telephonic Testimony Violated Defendant’s Sixth Amendment Right to Confrontation, by David M. Reutter
9. Ninth Circuit Holds Statute Criminalizing Encouraging or Inducing Alien to Reside in U.S. Is Overbroad and Facially Unconstitutional, by Mark Wilson
10. Federal Prosecutors Directed to Stop Obtaining Compassionate Release Waivers From Defendants During Plea Agreements and to Not Enforce Previously Obtained Waivers, by Harold Hempstead
11. Cop Training Other Cops to Use Facial Recognition to ID Individuals During Traffic Stops, by Anthony Accurso
12. Seventh Circuit: District Court’s Failure to Exercise Discretion After Erroneously Finding Defendant Ineligible for Relief Under First Step Act Was Abuse of Discretion, by Douglas Ankney
13. Seventh Circuit Vacates Sentence Where District Court’s Rationale for Defendant’s Offense Level Unclear, by Douglas Ankney
14. Supreme Court of Iowa: Sentence Vacated Because Prosecution Failed to Follow Spirit of Plea Agreement Requiring Recommendation of Suspended Sentence, by David M. Reutter
15. California Court of Appeal: Trial Court Violated Humphrey by Setting High Bail Without Considering Financial Condition of Defendant or Nonfinancial Conditions of Release, by Matthew Clarke
16. U.S. Treasury Bypasses Fourth Amendment by Buying Location Data for Law Enforcement Purposes, by Anthony Accurso
17. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Coty’s ‘Inference-of-Falsity’ Framework Extended to Apply to Police Officers With Established History of Falsifying Evidence in Drug Cases, by Richard Resch
18. The Feds Are Monitoring Messaging Apps, and Some Are Shockingly Unsecure, by Anthony Accurso
19. Cops in Virginia Beach Used Fake DNA Reports During Interrogations, by Douglas Ankney
20. Tenth Circuit Vacates Special Conditions of Supervised Release Where District Court Failed to Make Appropriate Findings and Provide Adequate Explanation, by Douglas Ankney
21. Fourth Circuit: Good Cause Not Required to Withdraw Consent to Magistrate Judge’s Jurisdiction Prior to Other Parties Consenting, by Harold Hempstead
22. Kentucky Supreme Court: Traffic Stop Impermissibly Extended Where Officer Stopped Writing Citation to Aid Drug-Detection Dog’s Sniff of Vehicle’s Exterior, by Anthony Accurso
23. New Jersey Supreme Court: Youth May Be Considered as a Mitigating Factor but Not Aggravating Factor in Sentencing, by David Reutter
24. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Overruled Motion for New Trial May Be Amended With Court’s Leave Within 30-Day Period After Sentenced Imposed, by Matthew Clarke
25. Tenth Circuit Announces District Court Abused Discretion by Imposing Harsher Sentence Based on Defendant’s Decision to Plead Guilty Without Plea Agreement, by David Reutter
26. Expert Forensic Testimony Flawed by Implicit Racial Bias, by Casey Bastian
27. Oregon Becomes 38th State to Enact Wrongful Conviction Compensation Law, by Mark Wilson
28. Federal Officers Can Violate Civil Rights With Near Impunity - Supreme Court’s Refusal to Consider New Bivens Contexts Provides Protection to Those Who Abuse Their Authority, by Casey Bastian
29. Organization Created Platform to Log Police Misconduct in North Carolina, by Ashleigh Dye
30. A Union Scandal Landed Hundreds of NYPD Officers on a Secret Watchlist. That Hasn’t Stopped Some From Jeopardizing Cases., by Jake Pearson
31. Police Outsourcing Reduces Transparency, by Anthony Accurso
32. COVID-19 Measures Do Not Interfere with Jurors’ Ability to Distinguish Between Truth and Lies, by Casey Bastian
33. The Right to be Forgotten, by David Reutter
34. Oregon Bans Pre-Conviction Mugshot Public Disclosure, by Mark Wilson
35. Racially Disparate Sentencing Patterns Prevalent Amongst Federal Judges, by Casey Bastian
36. What Happened When Oakland Tried to Make Police Pay For Misconduct Decades Ago, by Akintunde Ahmad
37. Council of State Governments Initiates Efforts to Reduce Barriers to Employment for the Formerly Incarcerated, by Douglas Ankney
38. News in Brief

More from Dale Chappell:

• 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
• Federal Habeas Corpus: How to Raise a Fourth Amendment Claim, Feb. 15, 2023

More from these topics:

• Shakedown in New Mexico: Decades-Long Police Corruption Scandal Rocks Albuquerque’s DWI Unit, March 15, 2025. Police Misconduct, Bribery, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• Former Vermont Sheriff Takes Plea Deal in Sexual Assault Case, March 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Police/Govt Misconduct, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025. Databases, Disclosure of Records, Public Records Act, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• Third Circuit Grants Habeas Relief to Prisoner on Confrontation Clause and Ineffective Assistance Claims Based on Trial Court Reading Entire Criminal Information Into the Record of Co-Conspirator Who Pleaded Guilty, Feb. 15, 2025. Habeas Corpus, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, Exculpatory No Doctrine, Confrontation Clause/Rights, Witnesses - Prior Statements/Testimony, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• Guard Pleads Guilty to Using Excessive Force at Indiana Jail Sued Nine Times in Two Years, Jan. 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• Kansas Supreme Court Announces Defendant-Witness Retains Fifth Amendment Privilege Against Compelled Self-Incrimination After Guilty Plea and Sentencing as Long as Testimony Sought Presents Legitimate Risk of Incrimination, Dec. 15, 2024. Self Incrimination, Self-Incrimination Clause, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• First Circuit Holds Government Breached Plea Agreement by Implicitly Arguing for Upward Variant Sentence by Including Pictures and Video of Defendant That Allegedly Depict His Criminal Tendencies in Sentencing Memo, Dec. 15, 2024. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Grounds for Variance, 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas, Grounds.
• Illinois Supreme Court Announces Dismissal by Nolle Prosequi as Part of Agreement Bars State From Bringing Second Prosecution Where Defendant Satisfied Obligations and Reverses Empire Actor Jussie Smollett’s Conviction, Dec. 15, 2024. Double jeopardy, Breach of Plea/Coop./Immunity Agreements, Dismissal, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
• Third Circuit Announces Claim of Innocence Does Not Resolve Whether Defendant Would Have Accepted Plea Offer Absent Counsel’s Error and Holds Counsel Ineffective for Failing to Properly Advise Defendant About Mandatory Sentences If Plea Offer Rejected, Dec. 15, 2024. Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas, Rejection.
• Plea Deal Falls Apart for Accused 9/11 Masterminds, Dec. 15, 2024. Guard Brutality/Beatings, CIA, Guards/Staff, Torture, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.