Criminal Practice

  • April 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Death Sentence For Murder In Habeas Case

    A man must face the death penalty for the rape and murder of a California woman, a Ninth Circuit panel said Wednesday, reversing the grant of a habeas petition and finding that his attorney was not constitutionally ineffective.

  • April 29, 2026

    Consultant Says Venezuela Work Didn't Require FARA Filing

    The government did not prove that political consultant Esther Nuhfer was operating in bad faith when she worked with former Florida congressman David Rivera under a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Nuhfer's attorney said Wednesday in his final pitch to jurors.

  • April 29, 2026

    Comey Indictment Built On Bad Legal Foundation, Experts Say

    The criminal indictment of former FBI Director James B. Comey over an alleged threat against President Donald Trump by way of a social media post of seashells appears to be based on either an outdated or flawed understanding of the legal standard required to prove the charges in the case, which could sink the prosecution, according to experts.

  • April 29, 2026

    Tupac's Family Files Wrongful Death Suit, Citing New Info

    Nearly 30 years after the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur, the rapper's stepbrother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against a man about to go on trial for the murder and unidentified others, suggesting that revelations in a recent Netflix documentary implicate Sean Combs in Shakur's murder.

  • April 29, 2026

    6th Circ. Skeptical Of Immunity Denial In Teen Suicide Suit

    A panel of the Sixth Circuit heard arguments Wednesday from a school resource officer and a high school principal seeking to overturn a district court's refusal to grant them qualified immunity from a lawsuit alleging their threats of expulsion and possible prosecution during a disciplinary meeting contributed to a 14-year-old Michigan student's suicide hours later. 

  • April 29, 2026

    Nadine Menendez Denied Bail During Bribery Conviction Appeal

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday denied a bid from Nadine Menendez for bail while she appeals her conviction on a bribery scheme carried out with her ex-senator husband, ruling that her motion doesn't raise a substantial question of law.

  • April 29, 2026

    3rd Circ. Upholds Trooper Immunity For Arrest After Shooting

    A man acquitted of homicide and other charges for killing another man in a bar fight cannot continue his case against a Pennsylvania state trooper who he said violated his rights by arresting him and filing an affidavit in support of bringing charges despite knowing the suspect acted in self-defense, a Third Circuit panel has determined.

  • April 29, 2026

    Ex-Hawks Exec Sentenced To 3½ Years For Embezzling $3.8M

    A former finance executive with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in federal prison for embezzling $3.8 million over an eight-year period. 

  • April 29, 2026

    Former AG Bondi To Appear Before House Committee May 29

    Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will appear before the House oversight committee on May 29, committee Republicans said Wednesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-Rep.'s Anti-Maduro Stance Was 'Facade,' Jury Hears

    Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera's public opposition to the regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was just a "facade" as he secretly worked on behalf of the government under a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, federal prosecutors told jurors on Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Philly Courts, City Legal Depts. Pitch Council For Funding OK

    The president judge of Philadelphia's judiciary asked the City Council Tuesday for an increase in staff salaries for 800 nonunion employees to match those of unionized workers who recently secured a contract, urging council members to help the court system stave off wage compression.

  • April 28, 2026

    10th Circ. Says Colo. Suit Against Officer On Leave Fell Short

    A Colorado woman did not plausibly allege an Aurora policeman who attacked her had actual authority to use force or conduct arrests as a sworn officer on administrative leave, the Tenth Circuit held.

  • April 28, 2026

    4th Circ. Reverses, Says Bag Search Evidence Was Inevitable

    A North Carolina man charged with drug and gun violations when he was arrested for interfering with a police investigation after riding his bike in and out of an active crime scene, cannot have evidence against him suppressed, a Fourth Circuit appeals panel ruled Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Purdue Pharma's $5.5B Plea Deal Clinched As Survivors Protest

    OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP has to pay a $3.5 billion fine and forfeit an additional $2 billion, more than five years after it pled guilty to criminal charges related to its role in the opioid crisis, a New Jersey federal judge said Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Death Row Inmate Seeks 10th Circ. Rehearing On Gender Bias

    Brenda Andrew, the only woman on Oklahoma's death row, is again asking the Tenth Circuit to consider whether gender bias and misogyny in her 2004 murder trial violated her constitutional right to a fair trial, her attorneys confirmed on Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Federal Inmates Can Earn Credits In State Lockup, 1st Circ. Says

    Federal prisoners may earn First Step Act time credit toward shortening their sentences during state custody before arriving at a federal prison, the First Circuit ruled, deeming a contrary federal policy invalid.

  • April 28, 2026

    Mich. Deputy AG Joe Potchen Retiring After 32-Year Career

    Michigan's Deputy Attorney General Joe Potchen will retire on April 30 after more than 32 years working for the state, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Comey Indicted Again As Feds Call Seashell Message 'Threat'

    Former FBI director James Comey was again indicted Tuesday by the Trump administration, this time over a social media post last year of an image of seashells arranged on a North Carolina beach to form the message "86 47," which prosecutors characterized as a threat of violence against the president.

  • April 28, 2026

    10th Circ. Tosses Enticement Conviction Over Biased Remark

    A man who was found guilty by a jury of enticing a minor has had his conviction reversed by a Tenth Circuit panel, which found closing arguments by prosecutors indicating they had removed the "cloak" of innocence, while displaying a nude photo of the defendant, was prejudicial.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-Prosecutor Cops To Using Stolen IDs For Online Gambling

    A defendant who recently admitted to using stolen identities to open online gambling accounts and collect winnings is a former assistant federal prosecutor, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office handling the case confirmed Tuesday.

  • April 28, 2026

    Nadine Menendez Says Feds Need To 'Look Into The Mirror'

    Nadine Menendez dug into her bid for bail while she appeals her conviction on a bribery scheme carried out with her ex-politician husband, telling a New York federal court that prosecutors refuse to own up to their handling of the "forced withdrawal" of her counsel.

  • April 28, 2026

    Ex-Asst. Prosecutor Admits To Practicing After Disbarment

    A disbarred former assistant prosecutor with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey has pled guilty to collecting about $70,000 in fees for legal work that he was unauthorized to do, the OCPO announced.

  • April 28, 2026

    Judge Publicly Scolds 'Disgraced' Ex-Prosecutor For AI Errors

    A North Carolina federal judge has eviscerated a former federal prosecutor in a public reprimand for his use of artificial intelligence to draft a response brief that was riddled with hallucinations, calling out the prosecutor's "lack of candor" and saying he "disgraced not only himself, but also the entire office he formerly served."

  • April 28, 2026

    Chinese Man Extradited From Italy Over COVID Data Theft

    A Chinese citizen has appeared before a Houston federal court after being extradited from Italy to face charges for his alleged role in the Microsoft "HAFNIUM" cyberattack that was allegedly orchestrated by the Chinese government to target U.S. COVID-19 research.

  • April 28, 2026

    Soldier Accused Of Betting On Maduro Raid Pleads Not Guilty

    A U.S. Army sergeant who helped plan the capture of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pled not guilty in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to profiting by at least $365,000 by gambling on the raid on Polymarket.

Expert Analysis

  • Reel Justice: 'Oh, Hi!' Teaches Attys To Return To The Statute

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    The new dark comedy film “Oh, Hi!” — depicting a romantic vacation that turns into an inadvertent kidnapping — should remind criminal practitioners to always reread the statute to avoid assumptions, meet their ethical duties and finesse their trial strategy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • DOJ-HHS Collab Crystallizes Focus On Health Enforcement

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    The recently announced partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat False Claims Act violations, following a multiyear trend of high-dollar DOJ recoveries, signals a long-term enforcement horizon with major implications for healthcare entities and whistleblowers, say attorneys at RJO.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Opinion

    Prosecutors' Duty To Justice Sometimes Demands Mea Culpa

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    Two recent cases — U.S. v. Lucas and U.S. v. Echavarria — demonstrate that prosecutors’ special ethical duty to seek justice can sometimes be in tension with other obligations and incentives, but it nonetheless requires them to concede their mistakes in the interests of justice, say Eastern District of Texas law clerk Ian Stephens and Texas A&M University law professor Jemila Lea.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • FCA Working Group Reboot Signals EHR Compliance Risk

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    The revival of the False Claims Act working group is an aggressive expansion of enforcement efforts by the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services targeted toward technology-enabled fraud involving electronic health records and other data, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse

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    Interpol has issued dozens of Silver Notices to trace and recover assets linked to criminal activity since January, and though the tool may disrupt organized crime and terrorist financing, attorneys must protect against the potential for corrupt misuse, say attorneys at Clark Hill and Arktouros.

  • Justices' Resentencing Ruling Fortifies First Step Act Tools

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Hewitt v. U.S. ruling clarifies that resentencing after vacatur must reflect the law in effect at the time of the new sentencing, ultimately strengthening the strategic tools available to defense attorneys under the First Step Act, says Benson Varghese at Varghese Summersett.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Unpacking Enforcement Challenges Of DOJ's Bulk Data Rule

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    Now fully effective, the U.S. Department of Justice's new data security program represents the U.S.' first data localization requirement ripe for enforcement, but its implementation faces substantial practical challenges that may hinder the DOJ's ability for wide-ranging or swift action, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

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