More from this issue:

1. Government Snitches Rake in Millions as Their Testimony Is the Leading Cause of Wrongful Convictions, by Dale Chappell, Jacob Barrett
2. California Court of Appeal Vacates Conviction Because Generic Immigration Consequences Warning Insufficient for Defendant to Understand Mandatory Immigration Consequences as a Result of Guilty Plea, by David Reutter
3. The FBI’s Gestapo Tactics: Hallmarks of an Authoritarian Regime, by Nisha Whitehead, John W. Whitehead
4. California Court of Appeal: Defendant’s ‘Novel Interpretation’ of Pen. Code § 1203.01 Entitles Him to Have Trial Court Consider Motion to Correct Post-Judgment Record 40 Years After Conviction Final, by Douglas Ankney
5. SCOTUS Announces Government Must Prove Physicians in § 841 Prosecutions ‘Knowingly and Intentionally’ Exceeded Their Authorization to Prescribe Controlled Substances, Such as Opioids, by Harold Hempstead
6. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Warrant to Search Cellphone Must Establish Nexus Between Device and Offense Beyond ‘Boilerplate’ Language About Cellphones Being Ubiquitous and Used in Crimes, by Anthony Accurso
7. Hawai’i Supreme Court Announces Medical ‘Rule-Out Questions’ Prior to Field Sobriety Test Are Interrogation Triggering Miranda Requirements, by Anthony Accurso
8. New Jersey Supreme Court Orders New Trial Because Detective Failed to Clarify Suspect’s Ambiguous Request for Counsel During Interrogation, by Douglas Ankney
9. Fifth Circuit: New, Retroactive Supreme Court Decision Allowing SOS Habeas Petition Not New Enough to Avoid Procedural-Default Bar, by Dale Chappell
10. Third Circuit Announces First Step Act Applies Retroactively to Defendant Whose Pre-Act Sentence Vacated After Act’s Enactment, by Harold Hempstead
11. SCOTUS: § 1983 Claim Cannot Be Based on Violation of Miranda Because Not Tantamount to Violation of Fifth Amendment, by Harold Hempstead
12. Fifth Circuit: Officer’s Testimony About CI’s Controlled Buy That He Did Not Personally Witness Violates Confrontation Clause, by Mark Wilson
13. SCOTUS Refuses to Extend Bivens Remedy to Either First Amendment Retaliation Claim or Fourth Amendment Excessive-Force Claim, by Dale Chappell
14. Tech Giants Support Ban on Geofence and Reverse Keyword Warrants, by Anthony Accurso
15. Seventh Circuit: Federal Habeas Corpus – AEDPA Time Limit Opens Door for Savings Clause Relief, by Dale Chappell
16. Ohio Supreme Court: Amendment to Statute That Shifts Burden of Proof to State Regarding Self-Defense Applies to All Pending and New Trials After Effective Date, Regardless of When Alleged Crime Occurred, by Douglas Ankney
17. New Mexico Supreme Court Announces Judicial Misconduct May Bar Retrial Under Double Jeopardy Clause of State Constitution, by Douglas Ankney
18. USSC Report Highlights Problems with Sentencing in Child Porn Cases, by Dale Chappell
19. California Court of Appeal Announces Term ‘Actual Killer’ in Revised Felony-Murder Statute Refers to Person Who ‘Personally Killed’ Victim, Not Necessarily Same as Person Who ‘Caused’ Death, for Resentencing Purposes Under § 1170.95, by Matthew Clarke
20. Forensic Psychiatrist Questions the Value of Memory, by Jayson Hawkins
21. The Blue Wall of Silence: Law Enforcement Whistleblowers Face Severe Retaliation, by Casey Bastian
22. Fourth Amendment Loopholes and the PATRIOT Act’s Legacy, by Anthony Accurso
23. FBI Phone Hack May Have Monitored Americans in Operation Trojan Shield, by Jayson Hawkins
24. Psychological Repercussions of Surveillance, by Anthony Accurso
25. Chicago PD Is Spying on Social Media Using Fake Profiles Provided by the FBI, by Anthony Accurso
26. Study Shows Crime Reduced When Crisis Teams, as Opposed to Police, Respond to Low-Level Crimes, by Jacob Barrett
27. Understanding Environmental Effects on Blowflies Permits Fine-Tuning of Evidence Revealed From Fly Colonization of Decomposing Bodies, by Douglas Ankney
28. News in Brief

More from David Reutter:

• Philadelphia Agrees to $9.1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Murder Conviction, Feb. 15, 2025
• ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025
• First Circuit: Two-Level Enhancement Under § 3B1.1(c) for Leadership or Managerial Role Vacated Because Government Failed to Prove Defendant’s Order Was Actually ‘Obeyed’ by Fellow Criminal Participant, Feb. 15, 2025
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Witness Wearing Surgical Mask During Pandemic Is Denial of Sixth Amendment Right to Face-to-Face Confrontation and No General Exception to This Right for Pandemic or ‘Other Global Events’ Such as Wars and Natural, Feb. 15, 2025
• The Murky Waters of Parole, Feb. 1, 2025
• California Prisoner Awarded Over $1.26 Million in Suit Challenging Withheld Legal Mail Which Resulted in Habeas Loss, Jan. 15, 2025
• Muslim New York Prisoner’s Free Exercise of Religion Claim Reinstated, Jan. 15, 2025
• Fourth Circuit: Baltimore County Prisoners May Qualify as Employees under FLSA, Jan. 15, 2025
• In Failure-to-Treat Claims, Wellpath Denied Dismissal in Virginia, Settles in Pennsylvania, Dec. 15, 2024
• Trends Show Mortality Risks Increase with Higher Jail Turnover Rates, Dec. 15, 2024

More from these topics:

• Washington Court of Appeals: No Reimbursement for Community Service Performed for Vacated Conviction, Dec. 15, 2024. Wrongful Conviction, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Reimbursement of Costs.
• First Circuit Announces Doctrine of Abatement Ab Initio Applies When Defendant Dies During Pendency of Direct Appeal in Published Precedential Ruling, Sept. 1, 2024. Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Doctrine of Abatement, Death Certificate(s).
• Intellectually Disabled Georgia Prisoner Executed After SCOTUS Denies Appeal, Aug. 15, 2024. Disabled Prisoners, Death Penalty, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction.
• California Court of Appeal Announces Rulings on Three Issues of First Impression Involving Certificate of Appealability and Habeas Petition, July 15, 2024. Habeas Corpus, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction.
• Changes to Appeals of Pretrial Detention Decisions Prompts Illinois Supreme Court to Adopt Changes to Appellate Rules, June 15, 2024. Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Preservation of Appellate Rights/Issues, Court Rules, Bail/Pretrial Release.
• His Appeal Lost for 28 Years, Texas Prisoner Finally Off Death Row, June 1, 2024. Death Penalty, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction.
• Mississippi Supreme Court: Court of Appeals Improperly Permitted State to Supplement Record on Appeal in Reviewing Habitual Offender Determination, Aug. 1, 2023. Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Sentences - Prior/Unrelated.
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Trial Court Deprived Defendant of Opportunity to Present Complete Defense, June 15, 2023. Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Best Evidence Rule, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, Prosecutorial Misconduct.
• Fourth Circuit Declines to Enforce Appeal Waiver and Procedural Default Excused by ‘Cause and Actual Prejudice,’ Reverses Denial of § 2255 Motion to Vacate § 924(c) Conviction Based on Hobbs Act Conspiracy, June 15, 2023. Wrongful Conviction, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Cause and Prejudice, Hobbs Act.
• Indiana Supreme Court: Petitioner Entitled to File Belated Appeal More Than 21 Years After Conviction, Holding He Acted ‘Promptly’, June 15, 2023. Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, Notice of Appeal/Appeal Rights, Tolling of Statutes of Limitations and Laches.