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U.S. Supreme Court Apparently Prioritizes Ideology Over Guilt or Innocence
by Douglas Ankney
The current justices on the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) apparently prioritize ideology over guilt or innocence. Almost 40 years ago, SCOTUS held that the U.S. Constitution’s Sixth Amendment guarantee of a right to counsel meant that criminal defendants have a right to the “effective …
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More from this issue:
- Federal Sentencing Guidelines Undergo Substantial Amendments, by David Reutter
- California Court of Appeal: Probation Condition Prohibiting Possession of Pornography Impermissibly Vague, by Douglas Ankney
- FBI Access to FISA Database Includes Some Accountability, by Anthony Accurso
- DOJ Spending Over $6 Billion in Firms to Seize Innocent Citizens’ Property Via Civil Asset Forfeiture, by Douglas Ankney
- Indiana Supreme Court Suppresses All Evidence Related to Polygraph Exam for Examiner’s Failure to Disclose Unilater-ally Changing Exam Results From ‘Admissible’ to ‘Inadmissible’ Due to Defendant’s Mental State, by Anthony Accurso
- Survey: Why Defendants Cooperate with the Government in a Process Described as ‘Unfair’ by Defense Attorneys, by Douglas Ankney
- West Virginia University Forensic Scientists Provide a Benchmark for Analyzing Duct Tape Fracture Edges, by Jo Ellen Nott
- FBI Buys Software to Enslave Your Phone, by Michael Thompson
- The White House Goes Rogue: Secret Surveillance Program Breaks all the Rules, by John W. Whitehead, Nisha Whitehead
- House Judiciary Committee Investigates Major Banks for Unauthorized Sharing of Private Financial Information With the FBI, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Second Circuit: Money Concealment Guilty Plea Vacated for Lack of Evidence to Support Factual Finding of Required Mens Rea, by David Reutter
- Oregon Supreme Court Announces Overruling of Precedent on ‘Attempted Transfer’ of Drugs, by David Reutter
- Maryland Supreme Court Announces Expectation of Privacy Covers Electronic Data, Not Physical Devices, Thus War-rantless Search of Government’s Copy of Defendant’s Hard Drive After Consent Revoked Violated Fourth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
- Fifth Circuit Affirms Habeas Relief Granted to Capital Defendant Where Counsel Failed to Impeach State’s Pivotal Wit-ness with Available Forensic Evidence, by Douglas Ankney
- First Circuit Announces It Has Authority to Raise Claim of Error Sua Sponte for Violation of ‘Mandate Rule’ by Sentenc-ing Court on Remand, by Richard Resch
- Human DNA Retrieved From Dogs Might Provide Evidence, by Douglas Ankney
- Sixth Circuit: Trial Judge’s Personal and Condemnatory Remarks Directed Toward Defendant Requires Recusal, by Douglas Ankney
- Police Requests to Google Replacing Old Fashioned Detective Work, by Anthony Accurso
- One Solution to Jurors Giving Too Much Weight to Improper Forensic Testimony: 4-Minute Training Video Based on DOJ Guidelines, by Matthew Clarke
- California Court of Appeal: Defendants Who Plead Guilty to Stipulated Sentence Eligible for Resentencing Under Amended § 1170.91, by Douglas Ankney
- California Bans Bogus ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis as Cause of Death, by Douglas Ankney
- New Mexico Supreme Court Clarifies When Reviewing Double Jeopardy Claims, Court to Apply Blockburger’s Strict-Elements Test or Modified Strict-Elements Test—Not Both, by Douglas Ankney
- FBI Lost Count of Its Snitches at Capitol on January 6, 2021, by Douglas Ankney
- U.S. Supreme Court Apparently Prioritizes Ideology Over Guilt or Innocence, by Douglas Ankney
- Jesse Johnson: 194th Person Exonerated While on Death Row, by Jordan Arizmendi
- Kansas Supreme Court Announces State Must Prove Defendant Specifically Intended to Enter Dwelling in Which There Was a Person to Sustain Conviction for Attempted Aggravated Burglary, Overruling State v. Watson, by Douglas Ankney
- Oregon Supreme Court Clarifies Test to Determine When Person Becomes Agent of the State and Rules Jailhouse Snitch Was Agent, Requiring Suppression of Defendant’s Statements, by Anthony Accurso
- NYPD’s Solution for Abusive Cops Who Cost Taxpayers Millions of Dollars in Civil Suits—Promote Them, by Douglas Ankney
- Eleventh Circuit Announces Supervised Release Term Not Tolled When Defendant Absconds, Deepening Circuit Split, by Anthony Accurso
- California Court of Appeal: Confrontation Clause Violated Where Defense Prohibited From Cross-Examining Prosecution Witness About Biased Motivation and Fabrication, by Douglas Ankney
- Fourth Circuit: Evidentiary Hearing Required Where Prisoner’s Allegation of Mental Illness, if True, Is Sufficient to Demonstrate ‘Extraordinary Circumstances’ Warranting Both Rule 60(b)(6) Relief and Tolling of Habeas SOL, by Douglas Ankney
- Study Reveals That Aging Federal Judges May Experience Cognitive Impairment Affecting Their Opinions, by Douglas Ankney
- News in Brief
More from Douglas Ankney:
- The Trial Penalty: How America Abandoned the Right to Trial, Nov. 15, 2025
- Third Circuit Upholds Award of $265,000 to Prisoner Who Was Sexually Assaulted Twice by the Same Guard, Aug. 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Announces When Initial § 2255 Petition Not Decided on Merits and Appeals Court Later Recalls Mandate Dismissing Direct Appeal and Affirms Conviction, Subsequent § 2255 Petition Not ‘Second or Successive’ Under AEDPA, Aug. 1, 2025
- $340,000 for Former Massachusetts Prisoner Whose Baby Was Stillborn, July 15, 2025
- New Jersey Supreme Court Refuses Guard’s Challenge to Firing for Failing to Report Kiss with Prisoner, July 15, 2025
- New York City Loses Bid to Withhold Jail Records, July 15, 2025
- Eleventh Circuit Announces New Deliberate Indifference Framework in Dismissing Georgia Prisoner’s Claim for Skipped Anti-Seizure Meds, July 15, 2025
- Washington Jail Settles DOJ Allegations of ADA Noncompliance in Failure to Treat Opioid Use Disorder, July 15, 2025
- Ohio Supreme Court Says Sheriff Must Get and Disclose Records of Private Contractors, July 15, 2025
- Third Circuit Rejects U.S. Sentencing Commission Amended Compassionate Release Policy, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- California Attorney Disbarred for Deceiving Prisoners Seeking Resentencing, Aug. 1, 2025. Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Attorney Misconduct, Counsel - Effective Assistance of.
- Fifth Circuit Announces When Initial § 2255 Petition Not Decided on Merits and Appeals Court Later Recalls Mandate Dismissing Direct Appeal and Affirms Conviction, Subsequent § 2255 Petition Not ‘Second or Successive’ Under AEDPA, Aug. 1, 2025. Habeas Corpus, AEDPA.
- Rhode Island Supreme Court Announces Indigent First-Time Applicant for Postconviction Relief Entitled to Counsel Even When Not Requested; Superior Court Must Determine Whether Applicant Intended to Waive Right to Counsel and Whether Done Knowingly, Vol, May 15, 2025. Appointment of Counsel, Counsel - Right to, Counsel - Constructive denial of.
- Ninth Circuit Grants Stay and Abeyance of Federal Habeas Petition to Allow Petitioner to Exhaust State Remedies, April 15, 2025. Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Habeas Corpus, AEDPA, Amendments to Petition.
- SCOTUS Clarifies It Had Already Been ‘Clearly Established Federal Law’ in 2004 for Purposes of AEDPA That Evidence at Trial Can Be So Prejudicial as to Violate Due Process, March 15, 2025. AEDPA, Denial of Due Process.
- How to Take Your Postconviction Case Directly to the U.S. Supreme Court: A Roadmap to Direct Collateral Review, March 15, 2025. AEDPA, Collateral Order Exception.
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Clarifies Trial Court Must Conduct Inquiry Whether Defendant Knowingly and Voluntarily Waived Right to Counsel at ‘Any Stage of a Case,’ Including Arraignment or Plea Hearing, Feb. 1, 2025. Counsel - Right to, Knowingly and Voluntarily Made.
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025. AEDPA, Procedural Reasonableness, Reasonableness of Sentence.
- Ninth Circuit Denies Habeas Relief to Prisoner Who Invoked Fifth Amendment Right to Counsel During Custodial Interrogation but Made Incriminating Statements to Undercover Informant Posing as Fellow Prisoner Because Right to Counsel Not Violated, Nov. 1, 2024. Habeas Corpus, Custodial Interrogations/Statements, Counsel - Right to.
- SCOTUS Clarifies Prejudice Standard Under Strickland for Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claims at Capital Sentencing, Nov. 1, 2024. Cause and Prejudice, Per se ineffectiveness.





