Criminal Practice

  • September 25, 2026

    This Courtroom Assumption Preceded A White Collar Manhunt

    After a jury convicted former Connecticut state budget official Konstantinos Diamantis of 21 corruption counts, a federal judge assumed prosecutors would not seek immediate incarceration, asking a question that came to preface an international manhunt now underway.

  • September 25, 2026

    Exonerated Detroit Man's Brady Claims Against Cops Survive

    An exonerated man can continue pursuing civil rights claims against three Detroit police officers accused of withholding evidence about an alleged jailhouse informant program that he says contributed to his wrongful conviction in a 1994 triple homicide, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.

  • September 25, 2026

    Pepsi Sued For Negligence Over Worker's 'Perverted Behavior'

    Pepsi has been sued in Georgia court by parents who say a vending machine worker took photographs and videos of middle and high school girls and then used artificial intelligence to modify those images into child pornography.

  • September 25, 2026

    'Unreasonable' Fee Bid Slashed For Wrongful Conviction Attys

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday awarded the attorneys representing a man in a wrongful conviction case less than half their desired amount for work done in pursuit of those fees, ruling that $135,795 was reasonable compensation.

  • September 25, 2026

    COVID Testing Co.'s Ex-COO Pleads Guilty In $500M Fraud

    The former chief operating officer of a COVID-19 testing company pled guilty in Michigan federal court to a healthcare fraud conspiracy allegedly involving more than $500 million in fraudulent insurance claims for services that were not performed as billed.

  • September 25, 2026

    Acquittal Bid In Okla. Bid-Rigging Conviction Denied

    An Oklahoma federal court has rejected an acquittal bid from a man convicted of participating in an erosion control company's bid-rigging conspiracy that allegedly affected over $100 million in publicly funded transportation construction contracts.

  • September 25, 2026

    Judge Bars 'Inhumane' Conditions At NY ICE Facility

    A New York federal court has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ensure humane conditions and proper counsel access for noncitizen detainees held at its regional office in lower Manhattan, detailing squalid, unconstitutional conditions there during the summer of 2025.

  • September 25, 2026

    Possible Trial In Comey's '86 47' Case Delayed To 2027

    A federal judge in North Carolina on Friday granted a request from former FBI Director James Comey to delay his formal arraignment on charges related to an allegedly threatening photo of seashells he posted online, saying "the gravity of the charges, pending motions, and the need to provide defense counsel additional time to prepare for trial promote need for continuance."

  • September 25, 2026

    Mass. Man Can Try To Undo Plea Over DA Misstatements

    Massachusetts' intermediate appeals court on Friday gave a man a chance to withdraw his guilty plea to an alleged 1999 rape, citing evidence that a prosecutor gave his plea counsel a misleading summary of the DNA evidence.

  • September 24, 2026

    Ex-Tricolor CEO Says Feds Botched Warrants In Fraud Case

    The former CEO of Tricolor Holdings on Thursday urged a Manhattan federal judge to bar any evidence seized from searches of his communications from being used to support accusations that he deceived lenders and investors about the subprime auto lender's assets before it crashed into bankruptcy with $1 billion in debt, saying federal agents ran roughshod over the Fourth Amendment.

  • September 24, 2026

    Split Texas Court Finds Counsel Failures In Fatal Crash Case

    The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday vacated the felony murder conviction of a man involved in a deadly police-pursuit crash, saying in a split habeas opinion that his trial counsel was ineffective.

  • September 24, 2026

    Feds Fight Bid To DQ Top LA Prosecutor After 9th Circ. Ruling

    The top federal prosecutor in the Central District of California has asked a district judge to delay following a Ninth Circuit ruling against his Nevada counterpart that would bar him from overseeing criminal cases until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in.

  • September 24, 2026

    Ill. Justices Mull Closed Arb. For Chicago Police Misconduct

    Illinois Supreme Court justices wrestled Thursday with whether the city of Chicago's history of publicly adjudicating allegations of the most serious police misconduct can establish a statewide public policy requiring open proceedings, while questioning a city police union on why transparency and promoting trust in law enforcement don't justify public attendance.

  • September 24, 2026

    Fla. Judge Seeks Journo Docs In Death Penalty Ethics Case

    A Florida appellate judge on Thursday urged a state disciplinary commission chairman to overrule an investigative panel's objections to providing communications between lawyers and newspaper reporters in connection to allegations that she attempted to influence a lower court proceeding, saying the records are needed to fight her case. 

  • September 24, 2026

    Immigrant Detainees Face 5th Circ. Doubts On Bond Hearings

    The full Fifth Circuit peppered detained unauthorized immigrants with questions about the constitutionality of bond hearings for pending immigration proceedings, with several judges suggesting Thursday they didn't think immigrants who "evade detention" should get to walk free in the country.

  • September 24, 2026

    NJ Says Report Can't Show Benefits Theft Case Was Targeted

    New Jersey told a state appeals court Thursday that it shouldn't have to collect more than a decade of internal investigative findings in its prosecution of two elected officials for allegedly unlawfully obtaining state health benefits, arguing that the defendants failed to meet the required threshold to warrant selective prosecution discovery.

  • September 24, 2026

    Ex-Ill. Prosecutor Wants In On ICE Protest Sanctions Fight

    The former federal prosecutor at the center of alleged grand jury misconduct in a now-dismissed criminal conspiracy case against a group of anti-ICE protesters has said she should be heard in any sanctions proceeding or further contempt probe that may be ordered, as pending motions for both put her "professional conduct and integrity squarely before the court."

  • September 24, 2026

    Foster Care Abuse Claims Against Mich. Facility Can Proceed

    A former resident of a Michigan foster care facility can continue pursuing several claims alleging he was sexually and physically abused as a teenager at a Flint children's center, while also pursuing a First Amendment retaliation claim against Genesee County law enforcement officials who allegedly threatened him when he tried to report the abuse, a Michigan federal judge ruled.

  • September 24, 2026

    5 Circuit Splits To Watch At The High Court

    The U.S. Supreme Court has been deciding fewer and fewer cases over the past three decades, with its caseload reaching a historic low just last term. While attorneys believe several factors have contributed to that trend, they say one of the most consequential is the court's apparent declining interest in resolving circuit splits. 

  • September 24, 2026

    Fla. Surgeon Found Guilty Of Killing Atty Who Went Missing

    A Florida state court judge convicted a plastic surgeon for the murder of an attorney who disappeared after walking into the restroom at his law offices and was then killed, although a body was never recovered. 

  • 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.

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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