Criminal Practice

  • August 28, 2026

    Trump Denied New Bid To Federalize Hush Money Prosecution

    A New York federal judge on Friday again denied President Donald Trump's bid to move his criminal hush money conviction out of state court, finding as he did earlier that a federal law defense that Trump was operating in his official capacity would be meritless.

  • August 28, 2026

    Ex-Tribal Telecom CEO Gets 2 Years For Embezzlement

    A former telecommunications company executive who stole more than $500,000 from an Indian tribal organization to fuel what her attorneys described as "gambling and substance abuse" has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, after asking a federal judge for a sentence of time served.

  • August 27, 2026

    Texas Frees ICE Agent Wanted In Minn. After Extradition Fight

    A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent wanted in Minnesota for felony assault walked out of a jail in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, early on Thursday, hours after a federal judge backed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's refusal to immediately extradite him for prosecution.

  • August 27, 2026

    Officer Assaults Not Always Violent Crimes, 8th Circ. Says

    An Eighth Circuit panel has ruled that assault against a federal employee is not categorically a crime of violence, saying U.S. Supreme Court precedent demands proof of more physical force than a conviction under the federal statute requires.  

  • August 27, 2026

    Jerry Sandusky Says Accuser Recanted Molestation Claim

    Convicted child molester and former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is set to appear in court next month for a hearing in which he will argue that one of his accusers has allegedly recanted his abuse claims.

  • August 27, 2026

    Feds Want Ex-Google Engineer To Get Over 5 Yrs For AI Theft

    Prosecutors have urged a California federal judge to sentence ex-Google software engineer Linwei Ding to nearly 6 years in prison for stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets, while Ding argued that the government's suggestion is based on speculative evidence and he deserves only home confinement since he was acquitted of economic espionage.

  • August 27, 2026

    Colo. Judge Says GEO Appeal Can't Oust Court's Jurisdiction

    A Colorado federal judge ruled Thursday that he will continue to have jurisdiction over a case from detainees accusing private prison operator GEO Group of forcing inmates to do labor without proper compensation despite a pending appeal from the prison group, according to courtroom minutes.

  • August 27, 2026

    3rd Circ. Backs Conviction, Life Term For Carjacking 'Spree'

    The Third Circuit on Thursday upheld the conviction and life sentence of a New Jersey man for a carjacking "spree," ruling that the trial court correctly barred evidence related to the arresting officer's past drunken-driving conviction.

  • August 27, 2026

    Ex-Abercrombie CEO's Sex Trafficking Trial Pushed To Jan.

    A Brooklyn federal judge on Thursday delayed the sex trafficking trial of former Abercrombie CEO Michael Jeffries and two others to Jan. 4 to give legal teams more time to prepare in the wake of the recent finding that Jeffries is competent.

  • August 26, 2026

    5th Circ. Rejects Felon's 'Weird' Second Amendment Claim

    The Fifth Circuit upheld a Louisiana man's felon-in-possession conviction Wednesday, rejecting his challenge that a prior conviction for trying to take a police officer's pepper spray lacked a founding-era analogue sufficient to justify barring him from possessing a firearm, as well as rejecting his "weird" argument that the disarmament was unsuccessful.

  • August 26, 2026

    Ex-Amazon Contractor Gets 16 Years In Fraud Case

    A federal judge in Atlanta on Wednesday handed a prison sentence of just over 16 years to a former Amazon contractor who prosecutors said took part in a fake invoice scheme that bilked the online retailer out of $9.4 million.

  • August 26, 2026

    ISIS-K Scout Loses Bid To Evade Verdict In Afghan Airport Bombing

    A Virginia federal judge has ruled that the government did not have to prove that an Afghan national convicted of conspiring with ISIS-K caused a bombing at Kabul's airport as American forces were evacuating in 2021, just that he could have foreseen that the conspiracy would result in death.

  • August 26, 2026

    Creek Nation Refutes Tulsa DA's Stance On State Crime Cases

    The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has told the Tenth Circuit that Oklahoma's Tulsa County district attorney gets it wrong in stating that he has the authority to prosecute nonmember Native Americans for nonmajor crimes committed on the federally recognized tribe's reservation.

  • August 26, 2026

    Texas Judge Won't Force Extradition Of ICE Agent To Minn.

    A federal judge on Wednesday refused to order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to extradite an ICE agent to Minnesota to face assault charges or prevent the agent's upcoming release from custody, saying the dispute was not yet ripe because Abbott had not denied the extradition request.

  • August 26, 2026

    Idaho Abortion Ban Relief Narrowed To 1 Doctor

    An Idaho federal judge walked back his recent order barring the state from enforcing its near-total abortion ban in certain health-related circumstances, finding that precedent in the U.S. Supreme Court supported a narrower injunction.

  • August 26, 2026

    Cannabis Exec Details Hiring Program In Mass. Sheriff's Trial

    A former employee of a cannabis company that a Massachusetts sheriff is accused of shaking down for an investment opportunity testified Wednesday that the company had a partnership with the sheriff, but he also said it was never suggested that the firm's cannabis license was dependent on the sheriff's goodwill.

  • August 26, 2026

    Ohio Justices Say Guilty Plea Needn't Be Fully Explained

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled courts can presume a criminal defendant understands pleading guilty means a complete admission of guilt, even if the judge does not explicitly tell the defendant so, unless the defendant asserts his actual innocence.

  • August 26, 2026

    Veteran White Collar Atty Joins Hartmann Doherty In NJ

    Hartmann Doherty Rosa Berman & Bulbulia LLP announced that a veteran white collar attorney who recently served as president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey has joined the firm as a partner from New York boutique Kagen Caspersen & Bogart PLLC.

  • August 26, 2026

    Prosecutors Say Goldstein Must Stay Behind Bars

    Federal prosecutors told the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday to keep convicted Supreme Court attorney Thomas Goldstein behind bars while he appeals his conviction, arguing that he remains a serious flight risk with wealthy overseas connections and "an ongoing danger" whose tax crimes continued "even after conviction."

  • August 26, 2026

    10th Circ. Says Missing Testimony Didn't Violate Rights

    The Tenth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed an Oklahoma man's murder and firearm convictions, concluding that allowing jurors to hear a missing witness's prior testimony did not violate his Sixth Amendment confrontation rights because the government made reasonable, good-faith efforts to find the witness.

  • August 26, 2026

    Rising Star: Federal Defender's Office's James Anglin Flynn

    James Anglin Flynn, an attorney with the Central District of California's Office of the Federal Public Defender, has taken on a range of criminal defense cases, including defending protesters in Los Angeles and people abused by for-profit prisons in Louisiana, earning him a spot among criminal practice attorneys under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 26, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says McIver Lacks Immunity In ICE Assault Case

    A panel of Third Circuit judges on Wednesday rejected claims from Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., that her congressional role protects her against criminal charges alleging she forcibly interfered with and obstructed federal officers at an immigration detention facility.

  • August 26, 2026

    Man Gets 42 Months For Tax Crimes, Fraud, Must Pay $1.2M

    An Oregon businessman who withheld employment taxes from employees' pay but did not pay the taxes to the IRS was sentenced to 42 months in prison for tax evasion and other crimes and ordered to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

  • August 26, 2026

    Mass. State Rep. Charged In $700K COVID Relief Fraud

    A Massachusetts lawmaker was arrested early Wednesday on charges that he engaged in a series of schemes to fraudulently obtain more than $700,000 from COVID-19 pandemic-era relief programs, flipping some of the funds into higher-interest mortgages to others and paying campaign expenses, federal prosecutors said.

  • August 26, 2026

    Ex-Coal Exec Asks Court To Toss Bribery Conviction

    A former coal executive convicted of authorizing bribes to an arm of the Egyptian government in a closely watched Foreign Corrupt Practices Act trial is seeking a new trial or to have his indictment tossed, arguing the government misused his criminal proffer agreement to wrongly hamstring his defense.

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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