More from this issue:

1. Cold Case Killer Kelly Siegler Is a True-Crime Celebrity. Did She Frame an Innocent Man for Murder?, by Liliana Segura, Jordan Smith
2. Breakthrough in Burn Victim Identification: Ancient DNA Tech Offers New Hope, by Jo Ellen Nott
3. Tenth Circuit Announces Assault Conviction Under 18 U.S.C. § 113(a)(6) Not a Qualifying Predicate ‘Crime of Violence’ for Purposes of USSG § 2K2.1(a)(3), by Douglas Ankney
4. New York Court of Appeals Announces ‘Due Diligence’ Is Applicable Standard for Certificate of Compliance Regarding Discovery Obligations and Trial Readiness, Improper Certificate Is ‘Illusory” and Fails to Toll Speedy Trial Clock, by Matthew Clarke
5. Ohio Supreme Court Announces Same Postconviction-Relief Filing Deadline Applies to ‘Delayed Appeal’ as Applies to Any Other Type of Direct Appeal, by Douglas Ankney
6. Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, by Dale Chappell
7. $3.76 Million Awarded to Denver Grandmother for SWAT Raid of Home Based on Inaccurate iPhone Ping, by Jo Ellen Nott
8. New NIJ-Funded Website Assists Forensic Practitioners Estimate Age of Unidentified Skeletal Remains of Infants and Teens Based on Dental Data, by Douglas Ankney
9. Minnesota Supreme Court Announces Good-Faith Exception to Exclusionary Rule Under State Constitution Does Not Apply to Search and Arrest Based on Quashed Warrant That Appears Active Due to Clerical Error by Court Administration, by Douglas Ankney
10. California Court of Appeal Announces Rulings on Three Issues of First Impression Involving Certificate of Appealability and Habeas Petition, by Douglas Ankney
11. Tennessee Supreme Court Announces Prospective Abrogation of Common Law Accomplice-Corroboration Rule, by Douglas Ankney
12. Surveillance Tech Companies Compose Self-Promoting Press Releases for Cops That Media Lazily Regurgitates, by Matthew Clarke
13. South Carolina Supreme Court: Confession Involuntary Where Police Provide Miranda Warnings Then Tell Defendant Statements Are Confidential, by Sam Rutherford
14. Ninth Circuit Announces That Asking About Parole Status During Traffic Stop Does Not Violate Fourth Amendment, by Sam Rutherford
15. UN Human Rights Committee Report: ICE Electronic Data Surveillance Practices Violate Human Rights Law, by Matthew Clarke
16. Fourth Circuit Announces ‘Sentencing Package Doctrine’ Permits District Court to Resentence Both Covered and Noncovered Offenses Under First Step Act, by Sam Rutherford
17. ‘Asian Nazis’ Be Damned: Cops Coveting AI for 2024, by Michael Thompson
18. Prosecutors Receive Absurdly Lenient Sentence of Probation for Brady Violation That Resulted in an Innocent Man Spending More Than Four Years in Prison, by Douglas Ankney
19. Federal Government Proposes Reclassifying Marijuana as Less Dangerous Schedule III Drug in Historic Policy Shift, by Jo Ellen Nott
20. The 153 Exonerations in 2023 Include 19 Resulting From Threats or Sentences of Death, by Casey Bastian
21. SCOTUS Announces Federal Sentence Under ACCA Based on Federal Classification of Drug at Time of State Court Proceeding, by Sam Rutherford
22. California Court of Appeal Explains Qualification for Mental Health Diversion Under Pen. Code § 1001.36, Rules Defendant Qualified for Pretrial Mental Health Diversion, by David Reutter
23. Rethink Googling That Video of Big Bird Teaching Your Child the Letter ‘B’—You Might Be Caught in a Federal Dragnet, by Douglas Ankney
24. DOJ Is Charging Founders of Samourai Wallet for Allegedly Laundering Bitcoin, by Michael Thompson
25. Foundations of Firearms Audio Forensics Built by Dr. Robert Maher Will Continue to Be Important Forensic Tool as More Recording Devices Are Present at Crime Scenes, by Jo Ellen Nott
26. What’s in a Name: ShotSpotter Becomes SoundThinking, But Problems Remain, by Michael Thompson
27. Colorado Supreme Court Announces First Degree Criminal Trespass of Dwelling Is Lesser-Included Offense of Second Degree Burglary, Explicitly Overruling Garcia, and Merger Is Remedy for Double Jeopardy Sentencing Error, by Sam Rutherford
28. Eleventh Circuit Reverses District Court’s Grant of Habeas Relief, Notes It’s ‘Murky on When Putting Two Suspects in a Room Together Qualifies as Interrogation Under Miranda’, by Douglas Ankney
29. Minnesota Becomes Third State to Restrict ‘Excited Delirium’, by Jordan Arizmendi
30. Sixth Circuit Grants Habeas Relief on Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and Batson Claims, by Sam Rutherford
31. News in Brief

More from Sam Rutherford:

• Ninth Circuit Affirms $3.84 Million Jury Verdict in Death of San Bernardino Jail Detainee from Acute Alcohol Withdrawal, March 1, 2026
• Shelby County DA Oversees Retesting After Forensic Analyst’s Dismissal for ‘Unethical Conduct’, July 1, 2025
• Self-Harming Wisconsin Prisoner Settles Failure-to-Protect Suit for $7,000, April 1, 2025
• 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
• Ninth and Tenth Circuits Find Bivens Extension Orders Not Immediately Appealable, March 1, 2025
• New Mexico Corrections Department Continues Pattern of Abuse With Contract Medical Provider Wexford Health Sources, Feb. 15, 2025
• Hawai’i Supreme Court Reverses Murder Conviction for Prosecutorial Misconduct Based on Prosecution’s Improper Statements During Closing Arguments, Feb. 15, 2025
• 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
• Fourth Circuit Decision on Claim of Retaliation for Exercising First And Sixth Amendment Rights Highlights Police Corruption, Feb. 15, 2025
• Washington DOC Physician Assistant Surrenders Medical License in Wake of Malpractice Allegations, Feb. 15, 2025

More from these topics:

• Chronotype Mismatch as an Emerging Vulnerability Factor in Custodial Confessions, May 1, 2026. Confessions - Admissibility, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Custodial Interrogations, Interrogation, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Holds Grand Jury No-Bill Terminated Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel, Clarifies Frye Exception, May 1, 2026. Sixth Amendment, Confessions - Admissibility, After Request for Counsel, Police Interrogations, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Maine Supreme Judicial Court Announces Waiver of Privilege Against Compelled Self-­Incrimination Must Be “Clear and Unequivocal” Under Maine Constitution, Joining States That Provide Greater Protection Than Federal Standard, Nov. 15, 2025. Constitution, state, After Request for Counsel, Self-Incrimination Clause, Invocation of Rights, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Kansas Supreme Court Announces Clarification of Framework for Deciding Whether Confession Is Voluntary and Overrules Precedents That Held Reliability of Confession Is Factor to Be Considered, June 15, 2024. Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• First Circuit: Miranda Waiver Not Valid Where Interrogating Officer Answered ‘No’ to Defendant’s Question — ‘None of this can be used against me, can it?’, March 15, 2024. Miranda, Custodial Interrogations, In-home, Right To Remain Silent, Interrogation, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Michigan Supreme Court: Defendant’s Statements Involuntary and Inadmissible, Feb. 15, 2024. Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• The Diminishment of Miranda Is Leading to False Confessions and Conviction of Innocents, Feb. 15, 2024. Commentary/Reviews, Wrongful Conviction, Confessions - Admissibility, Impeachment Evidence/Purposes, Miranda, Interrogation, In Custody, Confessions and Statements of Defendant, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: Police Deception That Statements Wouldn’t Be Used Against Defendant Requires Suppression, Jan. 15, 2022. Motions To Suppress, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Brown v. Illinois, No. 73-6650 (U.S. Supreme Court) (422 U.S. 590; 95 S.Ct. 2254) (June 26, 1975) (Justice Blackmun), Sept. 17, 2004. Punch And Jurists, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.
• Lego v. Twomey, No. 70-5037 (U.S. Supreme Court) (404 U.S. 477; 92 S.Ct. 619) (January 12, 1972) (Justice White), Dec. 9, 2003. Punch And Jurists, Voluntary Nature/Voluntariness.