More from this issue:

1. Understanding Fusion Centers, by Michael Thompson
2. LexisNexis Aids Customs and Border Patrol to Flaunt Fourth Amendment, by Anthony Accurso
3. Unconscious Bias: Facial Features Can Influence Life-or-Death Decisions in Verdicts, by Jo Ellen Nott
4. Lung Float Test: Junk Science Used to Convict Women of Murder, by David Reutter
5. Watchlisted: You’re Probably Already on a Government Extremism List, by John W. Whitehead, Nisha Whitehead
6. Studying Ant Bites on Cadavers May Advance Criminal Investigations, by Douglas Ankney
7. Illinois Supreme Court Announces § 9-1.2(d) Sets Range of Sentences for Intentional Homicide of Unborn Child but Does Not Convert Offense Into Murder for Life-Sentence Enhancement, by Douglas Ankney
8. Seventh Circuit Orders District Court to Hold Evidentiary Hearing Where Record Insufficient to Permit Review of State Prisoner’s Section 2254 Habeas Petition Alleging Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, by Douglas Ankney
9. Nebraska Supreme Court Announces Probation Search Unlawful When Conducted After Original Term Expired and Before Hearing on Extending Term, by Matthew Clarke
10. Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Failure to Disclosure Mental Health Report Showing Key Witness Was a Sociopath Constitutes Brady Violation That Prejudiced Defendant, by Anthony Accurso
11. Audit Finds LAPD’s Frivolous Use of Helicopters Flunks Cost/Benefit Analysis, by Douglas Ankney
12. The Supreme Court’s Forensic Follies, by Michael Thompson
13. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Correct Computation of Time for Purposes of Determining When Statute of Limitations Has Run for Returning Indictment, by Douglas Ankney
14. Research Paper Reveals Laypeople Have Insufficient Understanding of False Confessions by Examining Prior Research Based on Surveys and Mock Juries, by David Reutter
15. California Court of Appeal: Petitioner Has Constitutional Right to Be Present at Hearing to Determine Facts Surrounding Felony Murder Charges for Possible Resentencing Under § 1172.6, by David Reutter
16. Preliminary Analysis of Recidivism Data After Three Years Under First Step Act Is Promising but Inconclusive, by Jo Ellen Nott
17. Interactive Lineups Are a Promising New Tool to Improve Accuracy of Suspect Identification by Eyewitnesses, by Jo Ellen Nott
18. New York Court of Appeals Reverses Conviction Because Testifying Criminalist Not Shown to Have Requisite Involvement in DNA Testing Process and Provides Guidance to Avoid Future Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause Violations, by Anthony Accurso
19. Fourth Circuit: Defendant Entitled to Discovery and Evidentiary Hearing on § 2255 Petition to Withdraw Guilty Plea Because It Was Not Knowingly and Voluntarily Made, by Richard Resch
20. 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?’, by Douglas Ankney
21. The Potential for Soil Dust Analysis in Forensics, by Anthony Accurso
22. Oregon Supreme Court Announces ‘Escape Clause’ of Postconviction Relief Statute’s SOL Applies to Severe Mental Impairments During Limitations Period, by David Reutter
23. California Court of Appeal Reverses Denial of Full Resentencing Under SB 483, by Matthew Clarke
24. ‘How The Government Created a Terrorist’: FBI-Manufactured Crimes Reveal Urgent Need for Reforms, by Douglas Ankney
25. Minnesota Supreme Court Holds Prosecutor’s Repeated Statements During Closing Arguments That Defendant ‘No Longer Has Presumption of Innocence’ Constitutes Plain Error, Requiring a New Trial, by David Reutter
26. Improvements to Decertification Procedure for Law Enforcement Officers Guilty of Excessive Force Urgently Needed, by Douglas Ankney
27. New York Court of Appeals Announces Traffic Stop of Bicyclist Is Seizure Under Both Fourth Amendment and State Constitution Requiring Reasonable Suspicion of Crime or Probable Cause of Traffic Violation, by Richard Resch
28. 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
29. Amazon Ring Curbs Police Access to Doorbell Camera Footage—But Privacy Concerns Remain, by Jo Ellen Nott
30. Suspicion of Government Surveillance Increasing, by Anthony Accurso
31. FBI Searches of NSA Data Extended Until April, Despite Admission of Unconstitutionality, by Anthony Accurso
32. Cops’ Sky-High Hopes, by Michael Thompson
33. DEA and Police Use Pretense of Consent Searches to Effectively Steal Cash From Airport Travelers, by Anthony Accurso
34. A Legal Argument Against Government Purchase of Location Data, by Anthony Accurso
35. North Carolina Supreme Court: Outstanding Warrant for Driver Who Fled Accident Scene Does Not Authorize Inventory Search of Disabled Vehicle, by Anthony Accurso
36. Cops Just Love Secret Metadata Collection, by Michael Thompson
37. News in Brief

More from Anthony Accurso:

• The Systematic Terror of Rankin County’s “Goon Squad”, May 1, 2026
• Virginia Prisoners Stuck Waiting for Education Programs, Feb. 1, 2026
• $939,000 for Nevada Prisoner Left in Wheelchair by Delayed Back Pain Treatment, Jan. 1, 2026
• Ninth Circuit Affirms Exclusion of Plea Agreement’s Factual Basis, Holding Unaccepted “Type A” Plea Agreement Unenforceable to Trigger Waiver of Rule 410 Protections, Dec. 15, 2025
• America’s Deadliest Jails: Tarrant County Edition, Nov. 1, 2025
• Seventh Circuit Dismisses Jail Detainee Suicide Case for Lack of Showing Deliberate Indifference, Nov. 1, 2025
• Protecting Your Digital Privacy, Oct. 15, 2025
• Idaho Supreme Court Announces Warrantless Search of Civilly Committed Individual Violates Fourth Amendment, Oct. 15, 2025
• Michigan Supreme Court Announces Guidance on Standards for Search Warrants of Cellphones to Satisfy Particularity Requirement of Fourth Amendment That “Reasonably Direct” Search to Uncovering Evidence of Criminal Activity Identified in Warrant, Oct. 15, 2025
• Sixth Circuit: Erlinger Error Requires Resentencing Where Government Cannot Prove Beyond Reasonable Doubt That Jury Would Find Prior Offenses Committed on Different “Occasions”, Oct. 15, 2025

More from these topics:

• Surveillance for Sale: The Data Broker Loophole and the Fourth Amendment After Chatrie, July 1, 2026. Fourth Amendment, rights, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Federal Funds, Tainted Funds.
• SCOTUS Announces Accessing Google Location History Data Constitutes a Fourth Amendment Search, Holding That Neither Brief Duration Nor Third-Party Storage Negates Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Cellphone Location Information, July 1, 2026. Particularity Requirement, Probable Cause, Cell-Phone Location/Tracking Data, Cell Site Location Information ("CSLI"), Electronic Surveillance.
• Passive Data Transforms Smart Devices Into Covert Witnesses in a Silent Surveillance State, July 1, 2026. Forensic Sciences, Police State-Surveillance, Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet, Electronic Surveillance, Exclusionary Rule.
• The Constitution for Sale: FBI Confirms Resumption of Data Broker Dragnets, June 1, 2026. Fourth Amendment, rights, Warrantless Searches, Cell-Phone Location/Tracking Data, Electronic Surveillance, Privacy Act/Rights.
• Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Due Process Risks of Automated Traffic Enforcement, May 1, 2026. Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Electronic Surveillance, Privacy Act/Rights, Authentication/Identification, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
• Beyond Geofence Warrants: Chatrie, Reverse-Location Surveillance, and the Fourth Amendment Fight Over Digital Dragnets, May 1, 2026. Police State-Surveillance, Cell-Phone Location/Tracking Data, Cell Site Location Information ("CSLI"), Electronic Surveillance.
• Oregon Supreme Court Announces Article I, Section 9, of State Constitution Protects Privacy in Internet Browsing Conducted Over Public Wi-Fi Networks, April 1, 2026. Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet, Warrantless Searches, Electronic Surveillance, State Constitutional Claims, Suppression.
• The “Free Trial” Police State, March 1, 2026. Police State-Surveillance, Enforcement of Immigration Laws, Electronic Surveillance, Privacy Act/Rights, Use of Drones.
• Most U.S. Prisoners Now Barred from Directly Receiving Physical Mail, Feb. 1, 2026. Mail Regulations, Due Process, Legal Mail, Censorship, Warrantless Searches, Electronic Surveillance.
• Flock’s Gunshot Sensors Are Expanding to “Distress” Sounds, Feb. 1, 2026. Fourth Amendment, rights, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Recordings, Privacy Act/Rights.