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. Idaho Supreme Court: Telephonic Testimony Violated Defendant’s Sixth Amendment Right to Confrontation, by David M. Reutter
8. Ohio Supreme Court: Constitutionality of Indeterminate Sentence Under Reagan Tokes Law May Be Challenged on Direct Appeal, 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. 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
12. Cop Training Other Cops to Use Facial Recognition to ID Individuals During Traffic Stops, by Anthony Accurso
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. Organization Created Platform to Log Police Misconduct in North Carolina, by Ashleigh Dye
29. 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
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. The Right to be Forgotten, by David Reutter
33. COVID-19 Measures Do Not Interfere with Jurors’ Ability to Distinguish Between Truth and Lies, by Casey Bastian
34. Racially Disparate Sentencing Patterns Prevalent Amongst Federal Judges, by Casey Bastian
35. Oregon Bans Pre-Conviction Mugshot Public Disclosure, by Mark Wilson
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 Douglas Ankney:

• New Jersey Supreme Court Orders Plenary Hearing Before Special Adjudicator on Reliability of Fingerprint Evidence, Holding Century of Judicial Acceptance Did Not Satisfy Trial Court’s Gatekeeping Obligation Under N.J.R.E. 702, Aug. 1, 2026
• En Banc Eleventh Circuit Announces All Parents, Including Those Convicted of Child-Sex Offenses, Enjoy Fundamental Right to Live With Their Children, Holding Alabama Residency Prohibition Subject to Strict Scrutiny, Aug. 1, 2026
• Seventh Circuit Announces Courts May Examine Individual Officer’s Subjective Purpose When Assessing Whether Warrantless Administrative Inspection Was Pretextual, Holding Suppression Required Where Trooper’s Sole Motive for Stop Was Criminal Investigati, Aug. 1, 2026
• SCOTUS Holds § 922(g)(3) Prosecution Based Solely on Regular Marijuana Use, Without Individualized Proof of Dangerousness, Violates Second Amendment, Aug. 1, 2026
• Judge Grants Attorney’s Motion to Withdrawal from Corizon Health Case Due to Non-Payment, Aug. 1, 2026
• Abuse is No Excuse: Oklahoma’s Judges Deny Sentencing Relief to Prisoners Who Were Raped and Physically Assaulted, Aug. 1, 2026
• Audit of Louisiana DOC Finds Fault with Prisoner Release Calculation System, Aug. 1, 2026
• California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, July 1, 2026
• Eighth Circuit Revives § 1983 Complaint Alleging Jail Detainees’ Death from Stroke was Due to Deliberate Indifference and Failure to Train, July 1, 2026
• California Court of Appeal Announces Defendants Who Exercise Right to Jury Trial on Aggravating Circumstances Are Entitled to Closing Argument by Counsel on Those Factors, July 1, 2026

More from these topics:

• Relevant Conduct: How Federal Sentencing Law Punishes More Than the Crime of Conviction, Aug. 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Plain Error, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts, Relevant Conduct.
• 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.
• Sixth Circuit Announces Federal Coercion and Enticement Statute Requires Knowledge of Victim’s Minor Status, Deepening Circuit Split, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
• Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, April 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Qualifying Offenses, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Child Pornography.
• U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
• Acquitted Conduct Sentencing: Not Guilty – But Punished Anyway, March 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Federal Legislation, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.
• 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.
• Third Circuit Announces “Commencement of the Instant Offense” in Guidelines § 4A1.2(e) Unambiguously Refers Only to Specific Offense of Conviction, Not Relevant Conduct, Nov. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Adequacy of Criminal History Category, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
• Indiana Supreme Court Announces Whether Defendant’s Actions Were “Objectively Reasonable” Justifying Self-Defense Can Be Considered in Hindsight, Sept. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Criminal Procedure, Appealable Issues/Orders.