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Article • August 1, 2025 • from CLN August, 2025
Illinois Supreme Court Announces Conviction for Attempted First Degree Murder Requires ‘Intent to Kill Without Lawful Justification by Jeffrey Cohen The Supreme Court of Illinois held that a conviction for attempted first degree murder requires proof that the defendant acted with the intent to kill without lawful justification, rejecting the …
Article • June 1, 2025 • from CLN June, 2025
Arguing Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims by Dale Chappell This column is a follow-up to my original column published in the March 2021 issue of Criminal Legal News titled “Raising Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims.” In that first piece, I explained how to identify valid claims for federal habeas relief, …
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Defense Counsel Had Actual Conflict of Interest Where Own Performance During Police Interview of Defendant Could Serve as Basis of Motion to Suppress Based on Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, New Trial Required W by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts …
Third Circuit Grants Habeas Relief to Prisoner on Confrontation Clause and Ineffective Assistance Claims Based on Trial Court Reading Entire Criminal Information Into the Record of Co-Conspirator Who Pleaded Guilty by Sam Rutherford by Sam Rutherford The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the U.S. District Court …
Ninth Circuit: Defense Counsel Ineffective for Failing to Move to Suppress Evidence Obtained as a Result of Police Officer Trespassing on Curtilage of Defendant’s Home by Sam Rutherford by Sam Rutherford The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted a federal prisoner’s 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion for habeas …
Georgia Supreme Court Grants Habeas Relief Where Both Trial and Appellate Counsel Provided Ineffective Assistance by Failing to Challenge Indictment for Residential Burglary That Failed to Allege Defendant Illegally Entered a ‘Dwelling’ by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso The Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously granted a defendant’s habeas petition …
Third Circuit Announces Claim of Innocence Does Not Resolve Whether Defendant Would Have Accepted Plea Offer Absent Counsel’s Error and Holds Counsel Ineffective for Failing to Properly Advise Defendant About Mandatory Sentences If Plea Offer Rejected by Sam Rutherford by Sam Rutherford The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third …
Delaware Supreme Court: Counsel Ineffective for Failing to Challenge Search of Cellphone Where Consent Was Ambiguous and Warrant Constituted a General Warrant by Sam Rutherford by Sam Rutherford The Supreme Court of Delaware granted postconviction relief to a prisoner because his defense attorney provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing …
Arizona Supreme Court Allows Third PCR Motion Based on IAC for Erroneous Advice About Parole Eligibility Due to ‘Pervasive Confusion’ Regarding Parole Within Legal Community by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso The Supreme Court of Arizona held that a defendant’s third postconviction relief (“PCR”) motion was not untimely, nor …
Georgia Supreme Court Grants Habeas Where Defense Counsel Failed to Understand State Self-Defense Statute Provides Complete Defense to Felony Murder Based on Felon-in-Possession Charge by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to argue that self-defense is a …
Fourth Circuit Vacates Order Denying § 2254 Motion, Remands for Evidentiary Hearing on Whether Counsel’s Failure to Object to Duplicative Drug Conspiracy Counts in Violation of Double Jeopardy Clause Was Strategic by Matthew Clarke by Matthew Thomas Clarke The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated the U.S. …
Texas Man Exonerated by DNA Evidence After 25 Years of Maintaining His Innocence by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott Martin Lucio Santillan, now 50 years old, was fully exonerated in the Frank Crowley Criminal Courts in Dallas, Texas, on March 22, 2023. His 25 years of wrongful imprisonment …
Third Circuit Orders Evidentiary Hearing on State Prisoner’s Petition Seeking Federal Habeas Relief Because Both State and Federal Courts Denied Relief Without Holding Hearing on IAC Claim That, if Proven, Would Entitle Him to Relief by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit …
Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The term “procedural default” is a significant barrier in federal habeas corpus petitions. It means that if a claim could have been raised on direct appeal or at any earlier stage but was not, a federal court …
Ninth Circuit Explains Martinez ‘Cause’ and ‘Prejudice’ to Excuse Procedural Default in Federal Habeas Proceeding Where Claim of IAC in State Proceedings Was Procedurally Defaulted Due to Postconviction Counsel’s Failure to Timely Raise Claim by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit explained …
Colorado’s Amendments to Post-Conviction DNA Testing Statute Allows Greater Number of Affected Persons to Seek Testing by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On March 10, 2023, Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 1034 (“HB 1034”) into law, opening the door to a greater number of people convicted of felonies to …
California Court of Appeal: Counsel and Sentencing Court’s Misadvisement of Plea’s Immigration Consequences Require Relief From Conviction by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Court of Appeal of California, Second Appellate District, vacated a defendant’s conviction after finding the immigration consequences were not understood when he entered a plea …
Indiana Supreme Court: Petitioner Entitled to File Belated Appeal More Than 21 Years After Conviction, Holding He Acted ‘Promptly’ by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of Indiana held that Charlie D. Leshore, Jr., was entitled to file a belated appeal more than 21 years after his conviction …
Article • May 20, 2023
After Spending Over 30 Years in Prison for a Murder Maryland Man Didn’t Commit, Judge Grants Petition for Writ of Actual Innocence by Miles Dyson by Miles Dyson Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Charles Peters granted a petition for a writ of actual innocence, overturning the conviction of Anthony Hall, …
Ohio Supreme Court: IAC for Counsel to Mention ‘Neonaticide’ at Sentencing but Fail to Explain and Use It as Mitigating Evidence by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of Ohio ruled that Emile Weaver’s trial counsel was ineffective at her sentencing when he made mention of the term …
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