More from this issue:

1. Community Supervision: America’s Hidden Wellspring to Mass Incarceration, by Douglas Ankney, James Mills
2. Hawai’i Supreme Court Reverses Murder Conviction for Prosecutorial Misconduct Based on Prosecution’s Improper Statements During Closing Arguments, by Sam Rutherford
3. D.C. Circuit Holds Compelling Suspect to Unlock Cellphone With Thumbprint Is ‘Testimonial’ Act and Violates Fifth Amendment Privilege Against Self-Incrimination, by Anthony Accurso
4. A Gift America Can’t Return: The Police State Is America’s New Crime Boss, by Nisha Whitehead, John W. Whitehead
5. ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, by David Reutter
6. 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, by Sam Rutherford
7. Examining Pro-Prosecution Bias in the Judiciary: Unconscious Biases of a Prosecutorial Background, by Casey Bastian
8. Colorado Supreme Court Holds Defendant Was in ‘Custody’ for Miranda Purposes Because She Had Hands Bagged and Zip Tied, Commanded Not to Remove Them, and Questioned Alone in Interrogation Room With Door Closed, by Anthony Accurso
9. California Court of Appeal: Evidence Insufficient to Show Robbery Victim Moved ‘Substantial Distance’ to Support Simple Kidnapping Conviction and Amendments to § 186.22 Require Vacatur of Gang Enhancements, by Douglas Ankney
10. Fourth Circuit Decision on Claim of Retaliation for Exercising First And Sixth Amendment Rights Highlights Police Corruption, by Sam Rutherford
11. Reining in Police Monitoring of Social Media, by Michael Thompson
12. Study: DNA Transfer in Social Settings, by Michael Thompson
13. California Court of Appeal Announces Defendants May Obtain Brady Evidence From Police Officers’ Personnel Files in Advance of § 1172.6 Hearing Requesting Vacatur of Conviction and Resentencing for Certain Types of Murder Convictions, by Sam Rutherford
14. 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, by David Reutter
15. Massachusetts Supreme Court Vacates Threat-Based Conviction on First Amendment Grounds Because Jury Instructions Failed to Include Mens Rea Element Mandated by Counterman for ‘True-Threat’ Conviction, by Sam Rutherford
16. First Circuit Holds No Emergency-Aid Exception to Warrant Requirement Where Police Have Information That Subject Is Already Deceased, by Anthony Accurso
17. Police Departments Are Now Using AI to Write Reports, by Anthony Accurso
18. California Court of Appeal Announces Equal Protection Entitles Youth Offenders Convicted of Special Circumstances Murder Predicated on Robbery or Burglary to Franklin and Parole Hearings Under Cal. Penal Code § 3051, by Sam Rutherford
19. Law Enforcement Obscures Use of Facial Recognition Technology, by Sam Rutherford
20. 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, by David Reutter
21. News in Brief
22. Study Reveals Best DNA Recovery Spots on Drug Baggies, by James Mills

More from James Mills:

• Community Supervision: America’s Hidden Wellspring to Mass Incarceration, Feb. 15, 2025
• Study Reveals Best DNA Recovery Spots on Drug Baggies, Feb. 15, 2025
• Colorado Bureau of Investigation Admits Over 1,000 Cases Affected by DNA Test Misconduct, Feb. 1, 2025
• Las Vegas Jury Finds Detectives Fabricated Evidence Against Woman Who Spent 15 Years in Prison for Murder and Awards Her $34 Million, Dec. 15, 2024
• Federal Law Enforcement Using Banks to Circumvent Warrant Requirement in Surveilling Sensitive Financial Data of Americans, Dec. 15, 2024

More from these topics:

• Study: DNA Transfer in Social Settings, Feb. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence, DNA Evidence/Testing.
• Colorado Bureau of Investigation Admits Over 1,000 Cases Affected by DNA Test Misconduct, Feb. 1, 2025. Judicial Misconduct, DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Forensic Sciences.
• Seeking Justice for Two: The DNA Scandal That Shook a Community, Jan. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Wrongful Conviction, DNA Evidence/Testing.
• Touch-Transfer DNA Remains Misunderstood and Still Poses High Risk of Wrongful Conviction, Dec. 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, DNA Evidence/Testing.
• DNA on Fired Cartridge Casings: Promising Advances to Link Suspects to Crime Scenes, Dec. 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples.
• False Confessions and Wrongful Convictions: Known Causes and Steps to Eliminate Them, Dec. 1, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, Wrongful Conviction, False Statements/Perjury, False Exculpatory Statements.
• SCOTUS Stays Texas Execution With 20 Minutes to Spare, Nov. 15, 2024. DNA Testing/Samples, Death Penalty/Death Row, Stays, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
• 50 Years After Starting “Scared Straight,” Former N.J. Prison Warden “Would Do It Again”, Nov. 15, 2024. War on Drugs, Juveniles, Education (Juveniles).
• Alabama Guard, Prisoners Among 13 Sentenced in Phone Scam and Drug-Smuggling Ring, Nov. 15, 2024. Guard Misconduct, Cell Searches, War on Drugs, Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet.
• Three Former Rikers Island Guards Among Five Ex-Employees Charged in Massive Smuggling Scheme, Oct. 15, 2024. Guard Misconduct, War on Drugs, Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet.