The
U.S. Supreme Court has allowed gender transition medical services to continue to be offered in federal prisons and the Sixth Circuit ruled that prison officials in Michigan can't claim immunity from allegations that they knew of mold contamination that led to seizures and respiratory issues among incarcerated women.
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U.S. Supreme Court
High Court Lets Block On Prison Gender Care Ban Stand
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed federal prisons to continue to offer gender transition medical services to incarcerated people.
Immigration
Khalil Asks Justices To Review His Right To Habeas
Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether district courts have authority to hear constitutional challenges to immigration detention through habeas corpus petitions.
Split DC Circ. Revives Faith Groups' Challenge To ICE Raids
A split D.C. Circuit panel has ruled that a collection of faith groups likely have standing to challenge the Trump administration's rescission of a decades-old policy shielding houses of worship from immigration raids, holding that the congregations face a "credible threat" of enforcement, enough to be heard in court.
Split 1st Circ. Nixes Plea Over Flawed Immigration Advice
A divided First Circuit panel has upheld a decision to vacate a Venezuelan woman's drug conspiracy conviction because a lawyer incorrectly assured her that she could remain in the U.S. and "work out" her immigration status after she pled guilty.
GEO Gets Split Trial In 12-Year-Old Colo. Forced Labor Suit
A 12-year-old class action by former detainees of a Colorado immigration detention facility alleging private prison operator The GEO Group Inc. unlawfully profited from their forced labor will have a split trial and begin Nov. 2, as scheduled, a Colorado federal judge has ruled.
Qualified Immunity
6th Circ. Says Mich. Prison Officials Must Face Mold Suit
The Sixth Circuit has ruled that several Michigan prison officials are not entitled to immunity from a lawsuit alleging that they were aware of mold contamination in a women's prison that led to several incarcerated people having seizures and developing respiratory issues.
Conviction Upheld
Wrong Address Doesn't Invalidate Warrant, Mich. Court Says
A Michigan state appellate court has ruled that a man's conviction on two counts of obstructing and resisting police is not moot just because the officers entered the man's home using an arrest warrant that had a different address.
10th Circ. Backs Trooper Killer's Violent Crime Charge
The Tenth Circuit has ruled that a man convicted of killing an Oklahoma state trooper nearly 30 years ago cannot have a portion of his conviction dropped, finding that under federal law, killing a law enforcement officer in furtherance of a drug offense meets the definition of a crime of violence.
Retrials
Panel Orders New Sex Abuse Trial Over Improper Testimony
A Connecticut appeals court has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of sexual assault of a child, ruling the prosecutor was incorrectly allowed to ask witnesses to evaluate the credibility of the victim's testimony.
NY Panel Orders New Trial After Unrecorded Jury Remarks
A New York state appeals court has ruled that a man is entitled to a new trial on drug possession charges after it was discovered that a trial judge had an off-the-record conversation with a juror to resolve a dispute about how to decide the case.
Search Warrants
Alleged Stalker's Car Search Lawful, Texas High Court Rules
The highest criminal court in Texas has ruled that a man cannot suppress evidence that he had an illegal firearm in his car because a vehicle inventory taken by police did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights, even if the search did not follow department policy.
6th Circ. Says Gang Member Can't Nix Group Chat Warrant
The Sixth Circuit has ruled that a man convicted for his role in a gang kidnapping did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in an
Instagram group chat log seized from another street gang member, so he could not challenge search warrants for other members' social media accounts.
Sentencings
11th Circ. Says Justices' Ruling Unravels Sentence Reduction
An Eleventh Circuit panel has reversed a Florida federal judge's decision to reduce on compassionate-release grounds the 39-year sentence of a man convicted of robbing drug dealers, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in a similar case, Rutherford v. U.S.
Prosecutorial Rules
New Rule On Invoking Defendant's Past Convictions Hits Snag
A yearslong effort to make it harder for prosecutors to invoke a criminal defendant's past convictions appeared to be gaining traction — until the senior executive arm of the Judicial Conference recently intervened and the
U.S. Department of Justice abruptly withdrew its support for the proposal.
--Editing by Tim Ruel.
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