Criminal Practice

  • July 29, 2026

    NJ Justices Clarify New-Evidence Standards In Murder Case

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Wednesday held that one of its opinions concerning requests for retrial due to newly discovered evidence has a higher threshold than the similar U.S. Supreme Court landmark case Brady v. Maryland.

  • July 29, 2026

    8th Circ Reverses Meth User Gun Case Over New Rulings

    The Eighth Circuit has reversed a Missouri man's gun conviction, finding that a decision earlier this year from the U.S. Supreme Court changes what kind of analysis is needed to decide whether to dismiss firearms-related charges filed against known drug users.

  • July 29, 2026

    Conn. Panel Says No Mistrial After 'Known Felon' Remark

    The Connecticut Appellate Court has ruled that a man convicted of conspiracy to commit murder was not entitled to a mistrial just because a police detective's testimony that DNA evidence in the case matched a profile for a "known felon."

  • July 29, 2026

    Film Producer Charged In $100M Alleged Ponzi Scheme

    A film producer has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud in Illinois federal court, with prosecutors claiming in an indictment unsealed Tuesday that he bilked more than $100 million from investors in a Ponzi scheme.

  • July 29, 2026

    Seattle Restaurant Owner Pleads Guilty In $1.4M Tax Case

    A Seattle restaurant owner pled guilty to willfully failing to pay more than $1.4 million in unemployment, Social Security and Medicare taxes, some of it withheld from his employees' paychecks, according to federal prosecutors and court documents.

  • July 29, 2026

    Senate Postpones Key Vote For AG Nominee Blanche

    The committee vote on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's bid to take the permanent role, slated for Thursday, was postponed after Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., were not fully on board.

  • July 29, 2026

    Legal Aid Union Alleges Unlawful Incentives To Break Strike

    The Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem union announced on the third workday of its strike Tuesday that it has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing its management of offering unlawful incentives to cross the picket line.

  • July 28, 2026

    Man Sues NC City Over Arrest For Smoking Legal Hemp

    A man arrested in 2023 after smoking a legal hemp cigarette is suing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and two of its police officers, saying the city had made the officers aware that they couldn't distinguish between cannabis and hemp by smell, but they still arrested him and a companion anyway.

  • July 28, 2026

    Juveniles Ask Colo. Judge To Keep Delayed-Release Suit Alive

    A proposed class of children held in Colorado juvenile detention facilities urged a Colorado federal judge not to toss their lawsuit claiming the state delays releasing minors from the facilities, contending they plausibly alleged facts showing state officials violated their constitutional and statutory rights.

  • July 28, 2026

    Queens Defenders Head Gets 3.5 Years For Looting The Nonprofit

    A Brooklyn federal judge on Tuesday sentenced the former director of the Queens Defenders to more than 3.5 years in prison after the longtime attorney admitted to a course of embezzlement that destroyed the group dedicated to legal services for the poor.

  • July 28, 2026

    Mass. Justices Affirm New Trial In '93 Murder Case

    Massachusetts' highest court ruled Tuesday that a decades-old murder conviction based on eyewitness testimony cannot stand, citing new DNA evidence and other information that called into question the reliability of a key witness.

  • July 28, 2026

    Cannabis User Urges 8th Circ. To Rehear Gun Case

    A man convicted of possessing a pistol while using marijuana is urging the Eighth Circuit to rehear his case, arguing that its prior decision to uphold his guilt conflicts with the appeals court's prior ruling requiring the government to prove that a person's drug use caused their dangerous behavior.

  • July 28, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says Racist Mass Shooter Can Face Death Penalty

    The Second Circuit has determined that the federal government can seek the death penalty for a white supremacist, Payton S. Gendron, who murdered 10 Black people and wounded three others during a May 2022 mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that he partly livestreamed.

  • July 28, 2026

    8th Circ. Keeps Some Claims Alive In Jail Macing Suit

    The Eighth Circuit has partially revived a lawsuit brought by four incarcerated people in a St. Louis jail, finding that guards at the facility should not be granted complete qualified immunity from claims that they used excessive force.

  • July 28, 2026

    Ga. DA Seeks Judge's Recusal Over Ethics Charges

    A Georgia district attorney has urged a state court to recuse a judge from presiding over criminal cases the DA's office is prosecuting, arguing that the judge has been formally accused of ethics violations for improperly threatening to jail prosecutors in 2023.

  • July 28, 2026

    Charges Dropped Against SEIU Official Who Protested ICE

    Federal prosecutors in California have dropped charges against a Service Employees International Union official who was arrested after he blocked a police vehicle during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Los Angeles, according to a court filing.

  • July 28, 2026

    Trader In BigLaw Deal-Tipping Scheme To Plead Guilty

    A Florida resident is set to plead guilty to his alleged role in a sweeping scheme to trade on insider information about impending acquisitions that was stolen from major law firms, according to a court filing Tuesday.

  • July 27, 2026

    Black, Latino Chicagoans Win Cert. In Traffic Stop Bias Suit

    An Illinois federal judge certified a class of Black and Latino drivers who alleged Chicago police pulled them over for minor traffic infractions leading to frisks and vehicle searches at higher rates than white drivers, finding Monday there was significant evidence showing drivers of color are stopped at disproportionate rates. 

  • July 27, 2026

    4th Circ. Says Inmate Can Represent Himself At Sentencing

    The Fourth Circuit held Monday that the Sixth Amendment rights of a South Carolina man were violated when a judge denied him the ability to represent himself during sentencing because he did not make the request prior to the start of his drug-trafficking trial.

  • July 27, 2026

    Mich. Justices Reject Federal Double Jeopardy Rule

    The Michigan Supreme Court has significantly expanded the state's constitutional protection against double jeopardy, finding prosecutors can be barred from retrying a criminal defendant following a mistrial, even if they did not specifically intend to provoke the defense into requesting one. 

  • July 27, 2026

    Conn. Panel Says Bad Atty Advice Warrants New Murder Trial

    A Connecticut appeals court granted a new trial to a man convicted of murder after finding that during initial plea negotiations, an attorney representing him gave him bad advice on whether his codefendant would testify in his case.

  • July 27, 2026

    Conn. Justices Clarify Guilt-Inference Jury Instructions

    The Connecticut Supreme Court placed new guardrails around consciousness-of-guilt jury charges in criminal trials, refusing Monday to rewrite model instructions or toss a conviction but cautioning trial judges to convey the positions of both prosecutors and defendants in a "neutral and balanced" manner.

  • July 27, 2026

    Deal Reached In Comedian Eric André's Racial Profiling Suit

    Actor Eric André and another comedian who said their constitutional rights were violated when they were racially profiled at an Atlanta airport have reached a tentative deal with a Georgia county to settle their lawsuit about a year after the Eleventh Circuit agreed to revive the case. 

  • July 27, 2026

    NJ Justices Set 3rd-Party Legal Fee Rules In Criminal Cases

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday set forth parameters for third-party legal fee arrangements in criminal cases, upholding a murder conviction on the grounds that no conflict of interest resulted from a state witness paying his lawyer and finding that third‑party payments don't create per se conflicts of interest.

  • July 27, 2026

    300+ Public Defenders Strike In The Bronx

    More than 300 attorneys and staff with the Bronx Defenders Union went on strike Monday, one year after the last time the union walked off the job.

Expert Analysis

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Opinion

    Congress Must Bolster Wrongful Conviction Framework

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    The Trump administration's recent decision to abandon its flawed “anti-weaponization” fund should not end the conversation about compensating those wronged by the U.S. justice system, — it should open the door for Congress to build a principled system that strengthens and expands the existing framework, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

  • 2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

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    The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Opinion

    Attys Should Aid Clients' AI Use While Safeguarding Privilege

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    Until legislatures enact laws expressly extending privilege to artificial intelligence queries, lawyers should try to shield their clients' case-related use of AI tools by offering them dedicated access on firms' enterprise accounts and utilizing a long-standing privilege precedent, says Joseph Rillotta at Meadows Collier.

  • Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • 'Operation Hard Money' Marks New Phase In Synthetic ID Fraud

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    A recent California mortgage fraud case dubbed "Operation Hard Money" shows synthetic identities are increasingly key to mortgage and money laundering schemes, so lenders would be wise to integrate verification and behavioral monitoring as fraud powered by artificial intelligence creates larger losses and recovery challenges, says Neal Levin at Rimon.

  • Series

    Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Broadest So Far In Wave Of Habeas Decisions

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent opinion in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft provides the most developed structural reasoning among rulings in a widening circuit split over mandatory detention after undocumented entry into the U.S., and supplies immigration practitioners a template for due process arguments in favor of habeas relief, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • Opinion

    Murdaugh Reversal Masks Deeper Justice System Issues

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    The South Carolina Supreme Court's recent reversal of Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction leans heavily on improper jury influence by an ex-county clerk of court while underbilling other errors in the case, which are emblematic of larger issues with the justice system, says Barry Edwards at Fair Trial Analysis.

  • Tax Teams Get No Bright-Line Rule From AI Privilege Cases

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    Three recent appellate decisions that considered artificial intelligence in the context of attorney-client privilege protections illustrate that taxpayers and tax practitioners alike must consider the pertinent facts on a case-by-case basis, with particular attention to confidentiality, disclosure risk and system design, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    NY Times Word Puzzles Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Every morning I let The New York Times humble me with word games, which offer a chance to recalibrate my brain before the day's chaos arrives and remind me that a solution — whether to a puzzle or employment law issue — almost always exists once I find the right angle, says Amy Epstein Gluck at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

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    Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

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