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Archive: 2026

February

• SCOTUS Announces Single Act Violating Both 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and 924(j) May Result in Only One Conviction, Ruling Congress Did Not Clearly Express Intent to Overcome Blockburger Presumption Against Cumulative Punishment for Same Offense by David Kim (p 18)
• Washington Supreme Court Announces Race and Ethnicity Are Relevant Factors Courts May Consider When Applying the Totality of the Circumstances Test for Determining Whether Suspect Is “In Custody” for Miranda Purposes by David Kim (p 20)
• SCOTUS Clarifies Emergency-Aid Home Entries Require Only an “Objectively Reasonable Basis for Believing” an Occupant Faces Serious Danger, Rejecting a Probable-Cause Standard and Montana’s Terry-Like Caretaker Test by Richard Resch (p 22)
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Resende’s “Sequential Prosecution Rule” for Armed Career Criminal Sentencing Enhancement Is Binding Precedent, Not Dictum by Richard Resch (p 24)
• Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies Framework for Evaluating Extraordinary Motions for New Trial Based on Scientific Developments, Holding Trial Court Applied Incorrect Legal Standard in Denying “Shaken Baby Syndrome” Challenge by David Kim (p 26)
• SCOTUS Announces Federal Prisoners May Seek Certiorari Review of Authorization Denials Under § 2255(h) and Are Not Subject to § 2244(b)(1)’s Bar on Previously Presented Claims by Richard Resch (p 28)
• California Supreme Court Announces Excessive Fines Clauses Are the Proper Method to Challenge Punitive Fines, Holds Equal Protection Requires Courts to Consider Defendant’s Inability to Pay Before Imposing Certain Ancillary Assessments Upon Request by David Kim (p 31)
• Washington Supreme Court Holds Courts Must Meaningfully Consider Youth When Assessing Miranda Waiver and Clarifies That Res Gestae Exception Requires Temporal Proximity to Charged Crime by Sagi Schwartzberg (p 33)
• Maine Supreme Judicial Court Announces Trial Courts Must Rigorously Scrutinize Reliability of Expert Testimony in Unrecognized Forensic Fields, Holding Trial Court Erred in Admitting Forensic Podiatry Footprint-Comparison Testimony Without a Demonstrated by Douglas Ankney (p 36)
• Flock’s Gunshot Sensors Are Expanding to “Distress” Sounds by Sagi Schwartzberg (p 38)
• How AI Integration Used by Law Enforcement Fails the Public by Jo Ellen Nott (p 39)
• California Court of Appeal Holds Perkins Operation Violated Miranda Where Known Law Enforcement Officer’s “Stimulation” Tactics Amounted to Custodial Interrogation After Suspect Invoked Right to Counsel by David Kim (p 40)
• Illinois Supreme Court Announces Six-Element Jeffries Test Governs Self-Defense Jury Instructions in Cases Involving Force Against Police Officers, Rejecting Appellate Court Approaches That Either Created Separate Threshold Inquiry or Automatically Requir by Douglas Ankney (p 42)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Expert Testimony on Manner of Death Must Satisfy Same Reasonable-Degree-of-Certainty Standard Applicable to All Expert Opinions by David Kim (p 44)
• Supreme Court of Maryland Announces Police Officer’s Observation of Driver Manipulating Cellphone Screen Does Not, Without Additional Facts, Establish Reasonable Suspicion for Traffic Stop Under Fourth Amendment by Douglas Ankney (p 46)
• SCOTUS Announces MVRA Restitution Constitutes Criminal Punishment Subject to Ex Post Facto Clause Protections by David Kim (p 48)
• When Words Mislead: Replacing “Touch” and “Trace DNA” with “Transfer DNA” by Jo Ellen Nott (p 48)
• News In Brief (p 50)

January

• Aphantasia: Why Truthful Witnesses Can Sound Like Liars by Richard Resch (p 1)
• California Supreme Court Announces Single Criminal Act Harming Multiple Victims Constitutes Only One Strike Under Three Strikes Law by David Kim (p 16)
• First Circuit Announces Modification of Juvenile’s Life-­Without-­Parole Sentence to Parole-­Eligible Life Term Constitutes “New Judgment” Under AEDPA, Exempting Second-­in-­Time Habeas Petition From Gatekeeping Requirements by Richard Resch (p 18)
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Adoption of Transferred Intent Self-­Defense by Matthew Clarke (p 20)
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Duration of GPS Monitoring Must Be Considered in Individualized Reasonableness Determination and Resulting Monitoring Period May Be Shorter Than Probationary Term by David Kim (p 20)
• Digital Parallel Construction: Detecting and Challenging Hidden AI by Richard Resch (p 22)
• California Court of Appeal: Trial Courts Have Inherent Authority to Correct Unauthorized Sentences at Any Time Without Habeas Petition by David Kim (p 27)
• Tiny Plants, Big Consequences: Moss Evidence in Courtrooms by David Kim (p 29)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court (Opinion Announcing the Judgment of the Court): No Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Unprotected Google Searches by David Kim (p 32)
• Delaware Supreme Court Announces Trial Courts Must First Resolve Defense Counsel’s Motion to Withdraw Before Addressing Defendant’s Plea-­Withdrawal Request, Holding Failure to Do So Violates Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel by David Kim (p 36)
• Supreme Court of Maryland Announces Division of Correction Must Immediately Apply Time-Served Credit Against Valid Sentences When Convictions Are Vacated and May Not Toll Execution Pending Reprosecution; New Sentences Arising From New Convictions Take by Sagi Schwartzberg (p 38)
• Iowa Supreme Court Announces Framework for Admissibility of Expert Testimony on Eyewitness Identification, Holding Generalized Testimony on Psychological Factors Ordinarily Should Be Admitted by David Kim (p 40)
• Federal Funds Now Available for Police Drone Purchases by Jo Ellen Nott (p 44)
• Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case by Douglas Ankney (p 46)
• Eighth Circuit Announces Presidential Commutation Does Not Moot Challenge to Underlying Sentence by Richard Resch (p 48)
• NEWS IN BRIEF (p 49)