Criminal Practice

  • September 23, 2026

    Judge Tosses Suit Against Detroit In Fatal Police Shooting

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a civil rights lawsuit against Detroit and several police officers over the fatal shooting of Porter Burks, finding officers did not use excessive force when they opened fire after the 20-year-old man, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, ran toward them while holding a knife.

  • September 23, 2026

    Tech CEO Hid Russian Ties To Win Gov't Contracts, Feds Say

    The CEO of Virginia-based Oxygen Forensics, which sought contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies, claimed the software company was completely American-owned when it was actually controlled by a group of Russian nationals, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • September 23, 2026

    11th Circ. Backs Off-Duty Officer's Immunity From Force Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has ruled that an off-duty Alabama police officer should have qualified immunity from a lawsuit alleging unlawful use of deadly force after he fatally shot his unarmed neighbor who was suffering from a brain cancer-related mental health crisis.

  • September 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Rejects Squatter's-Rights Claim On Dead Baby's Name

    Walter Glenn Primrose testified at trial that he stole a dead baby's name to escape debt and threats in the 1980s and used it for three decades — even joining the U.S. Coast Guard and becoming a defense contractor — before his arrest and convictions. This week, the Ninth Circuit rejected Primrose's novel claim that his identity theft convictions can't stand because he has squatter's rights over the infant's identity.

  • September 23, 2026

    3rd Circ. Bars Early Probation Termination Bids Before 1 Year

    In a precedential opinion Wednesday, the Third Circuit held that a defendant seeking early termination of supervised release must serve at least one year of the current supervised release term before petitioning the court.

  • September 23, 2026

    Board Eases Burden Over Migrant Drug Use Admission

    The Board of Immigration Appeals upheld an immigration judge's decision finding a Mexican national ineligible for status adjustment because he had admitted to possessing and using cocaine, finding no obligation to first inform him of the offense's particular legal elements.

  • September 23, 2026

    Judge Orders Feds To Wait 3 Days Before ICE Transfers

    A Massachusetts judge has ordered federal immigration authorities to provide three days' notice to detainees who request bond hearings before they can be moved from the First Circuit, where they have a right to a bond hearing, to another circuit where the law may be different.

  • September 23, 2026

    NJ County's 1st Watchdog Brings US Atty Experience

    A former federal prosecutor who briefly was U.S. attorney for New Jersey and is now a partner at McCarter & English LLP has been named the inaugural inspector general for Hudson County.

  • September 23, 2026

    Matrix Chambers Adds 3 International Law Team Members

    Matrix Chambers has welcomed three members to its international law team, saying the newcomers bring expertise in the public and private spheres and in practices that include representation of senior government officials and cases involving crime, extradition and human rights.

  • September 23, 2026

    Weinstein Sentenced To 15 Years After NY Trials

    A New York state judge on Wednesday sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 15 years for sexually assaulting "Project Runway" production assistant Miriam Haley, following a series of trials against the already-imprisoned former Hollywood producer.

  • September 22, 2026

    FCC Seeks $25K For Radio Jamming During Alleged Burglary

    The Federal Communications Commission floated on Tuesday a $25,000 fine against three people who, it said, used radio signal jamming devices while apparently trying to impede police during a jewelry store burglary last year in Texas.

  • September 22, 2026

    Pa. Gov., Legislators Must Face Public-Defense Funding Suit

    A divided Pennsylvania appeals court has allowed a petition filed against the commonwealth's top political leaders to proceed, granting a path forward for the claims that chronic underfunding of public defender offices has led to indigent criminal defendants receiving ineffective legal assistance.

  • September 22, 2026

    Fla. Court Nixes Prison Term Over Missed Curfew Check

    A Florida appeals court on Friday ruled that a man should not be incarcerated for a probation violation because there was insufficient evidence to prove that he was not actually home after his curfew.

  • September 22, 2026

    Texas Appeals Court Undoes $3.5M Apartment Murder Verdict

    A Texas appellate court on Tuesday dismissed a $3.5 million judgment and ordered a new trial in a suit accusing a Houston apartment complex of negligently causing a robbery victim's murder, saying the lower court should have let the jury consider the alleged murderers' culpability.

  • September 22, 2026

    Ex-Charlotte Councilwoman Gets 10 Months For COVID Fraud

    A former city council member in Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 months in federal prison on one count of wire fraud conspiracy after prosecutors said she submitted sham applications for COVID-19 relief funds with her two daughters.

  • September 22, 2026

    Mass. Justices Grant New Trial In Fatal Parade Shooting

    Massachusetts' top court ordered a new trial Tuesday for a man accused of fatally shooting a bystander during a parade, ruling that trace amounts of gunshot residue found on his body were improperly admitted as evidence. 

  • September 22, 2026

    Ga. Litigators, Prosecutors Recommended For Judicial Seats

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has received a short list of four candidates to fill two state judicial vacancies, with a partner and sole owner at Daniels Taylor Law LLC and a senior litigator for the Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia among the recommended candidates.

  • September 22, 2026

    NJ Prosecutor's Office Claims Immunity In Video-Sharing Case

    A New Jersey county prosecutor's office urged a state court to toss a suspended police officer's suit alleging it improperly shared a video of her meeting with its investigators about gender discrimination and internal affairs complaints.

  • September 22, 2026

    Insurer Owes No Coverage In Wrongful Conviction Deal

    The estate of a man wrongly convicted of an arson that killed his mother-in-law cannot receive $1.8 million for a settlement with a polygraph agency accused of coercing him into a false confession, an Illinois federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • September 22, 2026

    Mich. Fed. Judge On 1-Year Leave Over Drunken Driving Case

    U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington is taking a one-year paid leave of absence from the bench following his misdemeanor conviction for drunken driving, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday.

  • September 22, 2026

    Gun Industry Says Conn. Pistol Ban Violates 2nd Amendment

    A firearm industry trade association, a gunmaker and a retailer have pushed back on a Connecticut state law banning pistols that can be converted into fully automatic weapons, launching a federal lawsuit that largely mirrors a challenge Glock brought the same day.

  • September 22, 2026

    Mass. Criminal Chief Jumps To Litson Amid Boutique Growth

    Longtime federal prosecutor Bill Abely, who most recently served as the criminal division chief for the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office, has joined Litson PLLC as a white collar partner in the firm's new Boston office, according to a Tuesday announcement.

  • September 21, 2026

    Rude Comments Fall Short Of Stalking, Fla. Panel Says

    A Florida appeals court has ruled there was insufficient evidence to sustain a stalking injunction against a woman who was described as "bullying" her neighbor by making mean comments about the neighbor's weight and a disability.

  • September 21, 2026

    Ala. Judge Halts ICE Construction-Site Arrest Policies

    An Alabama federal judge on Monday temporarily prohibited immigration officials from entering construction sites without warrants, preemptively detaining workers without justified suspicion that someone is an unauthorized immigrant and detaining workers who show proof of lawful presence.

  • September 21, 2026

    3rd Circ. Upholds 'Pattern' Penalty For Child Rapist

    The Third Circuit ruled Monday that a Pennsylvania man who kidnapped and sexually abused a child multiple times qualifies for a pattern crimes enhancement, ruling that although the crimes occurred over a matter of hours, they qualified as separate events.

Expert Analysis

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

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    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • Mitigating The Risk Of Antiestablishment Jurors

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    The legal battles currently embroiling social media companies underscore that jurors with anti-corporate bias and conspiratorial thinking patterns pose myriad risks to corporate defendants, and defense counsel should adapt their trial strategies accordingly, say consultants at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Rethinking Corporate Travel Rules After Device Search Cases

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    A recent New York federal court decision approving a warrantless seizure and search of company laptops and a pending Georgia federal court criminal case over a phone's data deletion underscore how little protection corporate personnel have at the border, necessitating a review of corporate travel programs, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Reel Justice: 'Disclosure Day' Teaches Attys To Listen

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    The underlying message in “Disclosure Day” suggests that communication often breaks down because of a failure to hear and understand, highlighting why a lawyer's ability to listen is not ancillary to their practice — it is what makes effective representation and justice possible, says Veronica Finkelstein at Widener-Delaware Law.

  • Series

    Going To Hardcore Shows Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While government contracts law and the hardcore scene may seem entirely unrelated, in my experience, both are about community, focus, being prepared for the unexpected and managing chaos, says Isaac Natter at Fluet.

  • 9th Circ. Rule Block Unlikely To Deter FinCEN Cartel Focus

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    The Ninth Circuit recently blocked the Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit's border cash reporting rule, interpreting it as an impermissible use of an emergency anti-money laundering tool, but regulators are more likely to see the opinion as a road map for building a more defensible rule, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • Series

    Being A Sommelier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a sommelier has quietly shaped how I practice law by changing the way I think, communicate and connect with people, and offers a constant reminder that expertise is about making your knowledge useful and accessible to others, says Kara Du at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

  • Opinion

    Qualified Immunity Bill's Reach Goes Beyond Federal Officers

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    The federal Qualified Immunity Abolition Act, introduced earlier this year and described by the bill sponsors as a federal-officer measure, would in actuality reach the entire universe of Section 1983 defendants, a distinction that matters as much to defense counsel as to plaintiffs, says attorney V. James DeSimone.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Examining Administrative, Organizational Uses

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    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas examines how artificial intelligence could transform a court's ability to deal with administrative work and organize materials when preparing for hearings or drafting opinions, thereby affording judges more time to resolve contested issues.

  • Series

    Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Parole Ruling Degrades Green Card Holders' Rights

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Blanche v. Lau, holding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can parole a returning lawful permanent resident without clear and convincing evidence of a crime, weakens the statutory and practical protections Congress intended, say attorneys at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners.

  • RETRACTED: Updated Fraud Sentencing Guidelines Add New Defense Tools

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    Editor's note: This guest article has been removed to address author updates.

  • How Justices Stayed Off The Geofence In Location Data Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Chatrie v. United States decision reaffirms Fourth Amendment protections for location data but avoids more complicated questions about geofence warrants, say attorneys at Adams Duerk.

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