Minnesota Supreme Court Holds Prosecutor’s Repeated Statements During Closing Arguments That Defendant ‘No Longer Has Presumption of Innocence’ Constitutes Plain Error, Requiring a New Trial by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Supreme Court of Minnesota held that the prosecution committed plain error by repeatedly telling the jury during …

Arizona Supreme Court Clarifies Proper Fundamental Error Review Applicable to Allegation of a Single, Unobjected-to Instance of Prosecutorial Misconduct by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of Arizona clarified the error review that is applicable when an appellant alleges a single instance of prosecutorial misconduct and no objection …

Kentucky Supreme Court Reverses Murder Convictions Due to ‘Flagrant Prosecutorial Misconduct’ in Misleading Jury by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke The Supreme Court of Kentucky reversed a woman’s convictions for first and second-degree arson and six counts of attempted murder, four of which were enhanced as hate crimes, because the …

Ninth Circuit Reiterates Presumption of Innocence Remains Until Conviction, Grants Habeas Relief by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The U.S. Court of Appeals held that a prosecutor’s repeated statements to a jury that a defendant wasn’t presumed innocent violated the Constitution’s Due Process Clause and granted habeas relief. The case …