by Dale Chappell
Joining five other circuits, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held on April 8, 2021, that U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 1B1.13 does not apply to compassionate release motions filed by prisoners under recently amended 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) and that district courts are ...
by Dale Chappell
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that the state courts’ application of Ohio Rules of Evidence 606(B) constituted constitutional error, providing an avenue for federal habeas corpus relief.
After Abulay Nian was convicted of rape in an Ohio court, he moved for a ...
by Dale Chappell
It’s called “direct collateral review,” and it’s quickly becoming a way for state prisoners to get around the obstacles and roadblocks to receiving habeas relief in federal court. Never heard of it? Read on.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) ...
by Dale Chappell
Concluding that counsel’s trial strategy of introducing a child victim’s interview with police “extremely damaging” to the defense, the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine ruled that counsel was ineffective and vacated the trial court’s denial of postconviction relief.
Benjamin Hodgdon was a teacher in Hancock County when ...
by Dale Chappell
In a case without oral argument, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) summarily reversed the grant of a new trial to a state prisoner on March 29, 2021, and held that a federal court must consider the entire record of the state case when determining ...
by Dale Chappell
Joining several other circuits, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held that a district court has the discretion to determine whether “extraordinary and compelling reasons” exist under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A)(i) when a prisoner files for compassionate release and that the outdated policy statement ...
by Dale Chappell
Some peaceful protestor may not mind the police having video of their protected right to assemble and push for change. But then there are some who would rather not have their face uploaded to a law enforcement facial-recognition database to be screened as a possible suspect in ...
by Dale Chappell
After more than two decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit, Fred Steese walked into a Las Vegas courtroom on March 1, 2021, to be awarded $1.4 million by the state but no apology. In fact, Steese was forced in 2012 to accept a plea ...
by Dale Chappell
In a case where habeas counsel purposely waited until it was too late to file a federal habeas corpus petition, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held on March 31, 2021, that counsel’s actions amounted to “abandonment” and allowed equitable tolling to excuse the ...
by Dale Chappell
In a case that numerous federal habeas petitioners have been awaiting, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held on February 23, 2021, that the decision in United States v. Davis, 139 S. Ct. 2319 (2019), is a qualifying retroactive U.S. Supreme Court decision ...
