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Criminal Practice
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December 15, 2025
Feds Deny Breaking Plea Deal With Ex-Morgue Manager
Prosecutors told a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday that they did not breach a plea deal between the government and Cedric Lodge by seeking a harsh sentence for the former head of Harvard University's morgue who admitted to theft and trafficking of human remains, claiming that Lodge's arguments to the contrary amounted to buyer's remorse.
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December 15, 2025
Employee-Related Charges Against Goldstein Are Tossed
A Maryland federal judge has dismissed several charges against SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein related to employees at his law firm, agreeing that prosecutors had failed to establish a clear rule for determining whether employees are legitimate for tax purposes.
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December 15, 2025
PSEG Deputy GC, Former Prosecutor Tapped As Next NJ AG
New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill named utility lawyer and veteran prosecutor Jennifer Davenport on Monday as her choice for state attorney general, selecting a longtime law enforcement leader she said will be central to her administration's agenda on affordability, public safety and government accountability.
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December 15, 2025
High Court Will Review Racial Bias In Miss. Jury Strikes
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear its second case involving the same Mississippi prosecutor's peremptory strikes of Black prospective jurors in a Black defendant's death penalty case — and the same state judge's approval of those strikes.
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December 15, 2025
Hunter Biden Disbarred In Conn. Over Gun, Tax Cases
Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joseph R. Biden, was disbarred Monday in Connecticut for attorney ethics rule violations connected to an earlier disbarment by consent in the District of Columbia and complaints related to his convictions on gun and tax charges for which he was pardoned.
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December 15, 2025
Supreme Court Declines Cannabis Ban Review
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging the federal marijuana ban, leaving in place a high court precedent that has governed cannabis policy for 20 years.
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December 12, 2025
DC Circ. Unsure Lower Court Could Toss Bergdahl Conviction
The D.C. Circuit seemed to have doubts Friday morning about a lower court's decision to throw out the court-martial conviction and sentence of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban after deserting his post in Afghanistan.
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December 12, 2025
Carrying Gun While Fleeing Counts As Use, 10th Circ. Says
The Tenth Circuit on Friday upheld the firearms conviction of an Oklahoma man, finding that despite his not physically possessing a weapon during a robbery and carjacking, prosecutors sufficiently proved a gun was present in his vehicle during the getaway.
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December 12, 2025
DOJ Shake-Up Keeps Criminal Tax Meetings, Ex-Official Says
The U.S. Department of Justice — despite recently eliminating its Tax Division as part of a broad restructuring — continues to meet with practitioners representing clients who may face federal criminal tax charges, the former division chief said Friday.
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December 12, 2025
7th Circ. Halts Release For Hundreds Of Ill. ICE Detainees
The Seventh Circuit on Thursday halted a Chicago federal judge's order requiring the release of hundreds of immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying the Trump administration was likely to succeed in arguing he should have conducted individual determinations about whether their arrest violated a consent decree it had previously entered in the case.
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December 12, 2025
NY Developer Charged In $8.5M Pandemic Loan Fraud
A New York real estate developer fraudulently obtained $8.5 million worth of COVID-19 pandemic relief loans and spent the money on two seven-bedroom homes in the Hamptons, diamond jewelry and paying off personal and business debts, Massachusetts federal prosecutors said Friday.
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December 12, 2025
Utah Officials Challenge Halt Of Psilocybin Church Case
County and local officials in Provo City, Utah, have urged the Tenth Circuit to revive a state court prosecution against a church that uses psilocybin as a sacrament, saying a lower district judge erred by halting the legal action and finding it was conducted in bad faith.
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December 12, 2025
DC Circ. OKs Detention For Man Who Threatened Prosecutor
A split D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday that a man can continue to be held in federal prison for further evaluations, even though he completed his full sentence, for continuing to make graphic threats against an assistant U.S. attorney.
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December 12, 2025
Del. US Atty Resigns Citing 'Politics,' Successor Appointed
The acting U.S. Attorney for Delaware said Friday that she is resigning, citing "a highly politicized, flawed blue-slip tradition" for nominees and saying she "fully" supports her first assistant, who has been appointed by a federal judge to succeed her.
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December 12, 2025
Fired UMich Coach Sherrone Moore Charged With Stalking
Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore "barged" into an unnamed victim's home and "terrorized" her hours after being fired from the university, Washtenaw County prosecutors said Friday in Moore's first court appearance on charges of home invasion and stalking.
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December 12, 2025
2025 Sees State Courts Diverge From Federal Criminal Norms
Some of this year's most notable criminal appellate rulings homed in on differences between state and federal constitutional protections against the most serious punishments, with movement in Michigan, bucking the trend in Wyoming, and an ambiguous but potentially earthshaking decision out of Texas.
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December 11, 2025
Feds Reportedly Fail To Reindict NY AG Letitia James, Again
New York Attorney General Letitia James' attorney Thursday celebrated reports that another Virginia federal grand jury declined to reindict her on charges of mortgage fraud, the second jury in a week to reject a case President Donald Trump had pushed prosecutors to pursue against a political opponent he's called "guilty as hell."
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December 11, 2025
Ex-Abercrombie CEO Headed For Competency Hearing
A New York federal judge said Thursday she will hold a competency hearing for former Abercrombie & Fitch Co. CEO Michael Jeffries to see whether he can stand trial on sex trafficking charges, following recent findings that he's overcome his earlier incompetency.
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December 11, 2025
Colo. Appeals Court Backs New Reasonable Doubt Instruction
A split Colorado appeals court Thursday upheld the use of a new model jury instruction on a reasonable doubt standard that a man convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material said lowered the burden for prosecutors to prove that a defendant is guilty.
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December 11, 2025
Texas Business Group CEO Resigns After Sexual Assault Suit
The CEO of Texas' largest business association has stepped down after a woman who founded a business advocacy group said he attempted to coerce her into a sexual relationship and then assaulted her when she rejected his advances.
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December 11, 2025
Former Colo. DA Suspended For Professional Misconduct
A former Colorado district attorney has been suspended from practicing law for six months by a disciplinary judge after failing to adequately prosecute one case, improperly involving himself in another and calling his prior office a "pile of steaming diarrhea and hatred."
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December 11, 2025
5th Circ. Backs Man's Convictions In $3.6M Fraud Scheme
The Fifth Circuit upheld conspiracy convictions for a Dallas man accused of fleecing a bank out of $3.6 million in renewed business loans, after rejecting his argument that the jury's learning of his brother's guilty plea tainted his case, ruling Wednesday that the plea did not directly implicate the man in the conspiracy.
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December 11, 2025
3rd Circ. Won't Toss Drug Plea Over Judge's Involvement
The Third Circuit on Thursday refused to vacate a plea agreement in a drug case, finding that while a Pennsylvania federal judge violated judicial rules by imposing a longer sentence than prosecutors wanted, the defendant was unable to prove that the interference substantially violated his rights.
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December 11, 2025
Terraform Founder Gets 15 Years For 'Epic' $40B Crypto Scam
A Manhattan federal judge hit Terraform founder Do Kwon with a 15-year prison sentence Thursday, saying he caused "real people to lose $40 billion in real money" as he orchestrated a massive fraud that sunk the once high-flying crypto concern.
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December 11, 2025
4th Circ. Suppresses Gun Found In Illegal Traffic Stop Search
A West Virginia man sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm should not have been searched during a 2023 traffic stop, a unanimous Fourth Circuit panel ruled Thursday, finding that a gun found on him should have been suppressed.
Expert Analysis
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Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss
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.
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New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse
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.
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Justices' Resentencing Ruling Fortifies First Step Act Tools
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.
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The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine
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.
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Unpacking Enforcement Challenges Of DOJ's Bulk Data Rule
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.
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Series
Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator
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.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma
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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Opinion
Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law
Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.
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Opinion
4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding
As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
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DOJ Actions Signal Rising Enforcement Risk For Health Cos.
The U.S. Department of Justice's announcement of a new False Claims Act working group, together with the largest healthcare fraud takedown in history, underscore the importance of sophisticated compliance programs that align with the DOJ's data-driven approach, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery
E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.
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How To Strengthen A Case By Mastering Expert Witness Prep
A well-prepared expert witness can bolster a case's credibility with persuasive qualifications, compelling voir dire responses and concise testimony that can withstand cross-examination, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'
The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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Policy Shifts Bring New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges
In the second half of 2025, the U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory landscape is poised for decisive shifts in enforcement priorities, compliance expectations and legislative developments — so investment advisers and other financial institutions should take steps to prepare for potential new obligations and areas of risk, say attorneys at Linklaters.
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8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work
Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.