NEWS IN BRIEF by Alaska: Alaska News Source reported that former Bethel Police Department (BPD) Off. Jonathan Murphy, 39, was convicted on February 13, 2026, of a brutal use of force. Body-camera footage captured Murphy during a December 2023 stolen-vehicle stop as he struck the compliant driver, Bernard Mael. When …
Fifth Circuit Announces Long Vehicle Protective-Search Exception Requires Contemporaneous Facts Demonstrating Third Party’s Potential Dangerousness Before Warrantless Vehicle Search Is Permissible by David Kim by David Kim The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that a warrantless protective search of a vehicle under Michigan v. Long, …
Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Sexual Assault of a Child Statute Sweeps More Broadly Than Federal SORNA Tier Offenses by Douglas Ankney by Doug Ankney The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated a defendant’s sentence for failing to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender …
News In Brief by Arkansas: The Saline Courier reported a swift fall from grace for Bryant Police Department (BPD) Sgt. Brett Carpenter, after he was observed off-duty driving his pickup the wrong way on a service road off I-30 on January 13, 2026. Saline County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) deputies stopped …
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Defendants on Appeal Bonds for Fine-Only Class C Misdemeanors Are “Restrained” for Purposes of Seeking Habeas Relief by Matthew Clarke by Matthew Clarke The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas held that defendants charged with fine-only Class C misdemeanors who have posted appeal bonds …
New Infrared Light Research on Blow Fly Larvae Reveals Clues to Time of by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott Texas A&M AgriLife Research has developed a new forensic tool that could revolutionize how investigators estimate time of death. Researchers have devised a technique using infrared light and machine …
NEWS IN BRIEF by California: Former Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Joseph Dessert, 42, was sentenced to nine years in prison on August 8, 2025, for sexually abusing his teenage daughter. According to The Modesto Bee, County Superior Court Judge Jeff Mangar said that the lawman violated his office’s trust …
In Re Tehum Care Services, Inc.-Order Granting Motion Determining That Any Payment Obligation by YesCare Corp, CHS TX, Inc, and Corizon Health New Mexico Owed to Ward Was Not Release Case 23-90086 Document 2460 Filed in TXSB on 09/15/25 Page 1 of 5 United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District of …
News in Brief by Alabama: Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith faces six misdemeanor counts after a grand jury indicted him on May 30, 2025, for knowingly employing uncertified personnel. WBRC in Birmingham reported that Smith’s second-in-command, Chief Deputy Ralph Williams, was also indicted on one count of providing false or …
SCOTUS Announces Sentence ‘Has Not Been Imposed’ for Purposes of First Step Act Retroactivity Upon Resentencing When § 924(c) Offender Sentenced Prior to Act’s Enactment but Sentence Subsequently Vacated by Richard Resch The Supreme Court of the United States held that when an offender convicted under § 924(c) had been sentenced …
HRDC v. Grayson County, TX, Settlement, Censorship, 2025 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SHERMAN DIVISION HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER § § vs. § § GRAYSON COUNTY, TEXAS; TOM WATT § in his individual capacity; and WILLIAM A § BENNIE, in his official capacity …
HRDC v. Grayson County, TX, Settlement, Censorship, 2025 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SHERMAN DIVISION HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER § § vs. § § GRAYSON COUNTY, TEXAS; TOM WATT § in his individual capacity; and WILLIAM A § BENNIE, in his official capacity …
News in Brief by Arkansas: The downward spiral of former Hot Spring County Sheriff Derek “Scott” Finkbeiner, 47, continued with his fourth arrest on May 2, 2025, reported KATV out of Little Rock. The arrest stemmed from Finkbeiner’s attempt to contact a witness, co-­defendant Jordan Hammond, through the Signal app, …
SCOTUS Announces Rejection of ‘Moment-of-Threat Doctrine’ Because It Improperly Narrows Required ‘Totality of the Circumstances’ Analysis for Fourth Amendment Excessive-Force Claims by David Kim The Supreme Court of the United States held that courts may not apply the “moment-of-threat” doctrine when evaluating the reasonableness of police officers’ use of deadly …
News in Brief by Alabama: On March 31, 2025, in State of Alabama v. Mac Marquette, Morgan County Circuit Judge Charles Elliott denied former Decatur Police Department officer Marquette’s motion for self-defense immunity in the fatal shooting of Steve Perkins. According to the Associate Press, the denial depended legally on …
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Order of Deferred Disposition Not a ‘Sentence’ Under Article 44.01(b)—Which Authorizes State to Appeal Illegal Sentence—Resolving Split Among State Courts of Appeals by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas held that a deferred disposition or adjudication is …
NEWS IN BRIEF by Alabama: On February 19, 2025, a grand jury called for the immediate abolition of the Hanceville Police Department for its “rampant culture of corruption” that turned it into a criminal enterprise. The New York Post reported that an investigation followed the death of dispatcher Christopher Willingham, …
HRDC v. Grayson County, TX, Stipulated Oder for Permanent Injunction, Censorship, 2025 Case 4:24-cv-00828-ALM Document 31 Filed 03/13/25 Page 1 of 4 PageID #: 503 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SHERMAN DIVISION HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER, Plaintiff, v. CIVIL ACTION NO. 4:24-cv-00828-ALM GRAYSON …
HRDC v. Grayson County, TX, Stipulated Oder for Permanent Injunction, Censorship, 2025 Case 4:24-cv-00828-ALM Document 31 Filed 03/13/25 Page 1 of 4 PageID #: 503 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SHERMAN DIVISION HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER, Plaintiff, v. CIVIL ACTION NO. 4:24-cv-00828-ALM GRAYSON …
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 by David M. Reutter The Court of Criminal …
