by Anthony Accurso
The Colorado Supreme Court announced a rule, which holds that when a defendant raises a for-cause challenge to an impliedly biased juror under 16-10-103(1), C.R.S., a structural error arises when that juror serves on the jury. The Court instructed that “a juror who is presumed by ...
by Anthony Accurso
A new Council on Criminal Justice report shows disturbing trends in worsening sentencing disparities for black and Latinx people, even as the U.S. softens its stance on non-violent and drug crimes, The Appeal reports.
The report aggregated data from the years 2000 and 2016 and compared ...
by Anthony Accurso
The Supreme Court of Louisiana held that the district attorney’s office abused its charging authority when it dismissed, then immediately refiled, charges against a defendant to circumvent the trial court’s decision to exclude the State’s expert witness.
In December 2016, Fred Reimonenq was indicted ...
by Anthony Accurso
An article published by ProsecutorialAccountability.com seeks to educate the public about the history of jury nullification and how reversing statutes and case law that prevent juries from knowing a defendant’s possible sentence could help curb prosecutorial overreach.
Jury nullification is the term applied when a jury ...
by Anthony Accurso
New “lie detectors” are being marketed as viable replacements for the aging, debunked polygraph and are being tested in environments where the polygraph never penetrated. But questions remain whether such devices are any improvement on the old one.
Many people are familiar with the classic ...
by Anthony Accurso
Now that the nation is evolving from “tough on crime” to “smart on crime” tactics, reform-minded prosecutors are making big changes by exercising their discretion on how and when to prosecute low-level offenders.
At the highest levels of government, politicians in both parties have been ...
by Anthony Accurso
Nigeria is implementing a U.S.-style public registry for sex offenders. “Campaigners have hailed the launch of Nigeria’s first sex-offender registry as a vital step toward tackling reported cases of sexual abuse, which are rising across the county,” reports The Guardian. Despite a dearth of statistics, ...
by Anthony Accurso
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that Ohio’s strict application of its post-conviction challenge deadline deprived a defendant of meaningful review of his ineffective assistance of counsel claim.
Vincent White was convicted in an Ohio court of several violent crimes, including six ...
by Anthony Accurso
A now-former Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Police officer was sentenced to just five years for five rapes and possession of child pornography. The rapes were reduced to misdemeanors, while the latter was a felony conviction.
The first victim came forward against Louisville Metro PD officer Pablo Cano in ...
by Anthony Accurso
An Alabama sheriff was denied immunity for acts taken to extort and silence a whistleblower who exposed her corruption.
In Alabama, sheriffs are allowed to receive as personal income any excess funds “left over” after feeding (or rather, starving) jail inmates. Former Sheriff Greg Bartlett was nicknamed ...
