by David M. Reutter
New Mexico's Albuquerque Police Department paid $22,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging officers acted illegally in shooting a citizen's dog.
Officers responded to a 911 call on October 19, 2009, from a woman who refused to give her address and said she no …
by David M. Reutter
The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas held that Texas Penal Code Section 22.01(b)(2)(A) establishes an element of an aggravated crime and not, alternatively, a punishment enhancement.
The Court’s opinion was issued in response to a petition for discretionary review filed by the …
by David M. Reutter
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit affirmed the suppression of evidence found to be the fruit of an illegal search that resulted after officers responded to a wellness check call.
The Court’s opinion was filed in an appeal brought by …
by David M. Reutter
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held that a plea agreement was ambiguous as to the Government’s ability to oppose Safety Valve relief for a defendant. Because precedent requires the ambiguity to be resolved in the defendant’s favor, it vacated …
by David M. Reutter
Over three decades, thousands of Florida police officers and prison guards were given a second chance. More than 500 were subsequently decertified after engaging in further misconduct, the Naples Daily News reported in an investigative piece by Devan Patel. The majority of the complaints …
by David M. Reutter
About 45,000 Americans were imprisoned for thefts of less than $10,000, a 2016 report by the Brennen Center for Justice at New York University found. As inflation rises, the chance of a petty theft becoming a felony theft increases.
The threshold for what …
by David M. Reutter
The Supreme Court of Iowa ruled that a district court erred in its analysis of a petition to modify sex offender registry requirements. According to the Court, the errors occurred in the consideration of a risk factor evaluation, consideration of a lack of stipulation …
by David M. Reutter
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit “discovered an undeniable and unwaived conflict of interest between court-appointed counsel” in a § 2255 petition and the appellant. It held the appointment of attorney Mary Davis to represent the appellant was not …
by David M. Reutter
A study into human tendencies concluded “that the risk of the innocent pleading guilty and falsely implicating others is real and that it is a global phenomenon – one that transcends borders and legal systems.”
The study included college students from the United …
by David M. Reutter
As protests spread across the U.S. after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020, another police killing two months earlier in Kentucky gained notoriety – that of Breonna Taylor. The 26-year-old emergency medical technician was shot at …
