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Criminal Practice
Criminal Practice Law360 provides timely news and analysis on criminal law and enforcement across U.S. jurisdictions. Coverage includes major prosecutions, sentencing trends, constitutional challenges, legislative developments, and key rulings impacting prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the courts.
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Latest News in Criminal Practice
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January 07, 2026
NJ Panel Says Erlinger Only Applies To Direct Appeal Cases
A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday held that new rules from the U.S. Supreme Court over how a criminal defendant's prior convictions are used when calculating sentences cannot be applied retroactively if the defendant has previously appealed their sentence.
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January 07, 2026
Illinois Man Charged In Snapchat Nude Photo Hacking Scheme
An Illinois man is facing federal charges alleging he used a phishing scheme to access the Snapchat accounts of hundreds of women, stole nude photos and sometimes sold or traded them on the internet, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced Wednesday.
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January 07, 2026
Wash. Appeals Court Overturns Double-Voting Conviction
A split Washington state appeals court has overturned the conviction of a man found guilty of voting in two states, ruling that because they were different elections with separate issues and candidates, he did not violate a state voting law.
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January 07, 2026
Joseph McGettigan Remembered As 'Tenacious' Litigator
Former local, state and federal prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan III is being remembered a week after his death as a brilliant trial strategist and a fearless advocate for victims of abuse and crime, a reputation built on the high-profile convictions of multimillionaire John du Pont and former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
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January 07, 2026
Defense Bar Says 11th Circ.'s Arbery Ruling Risks Overreach
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to reconsider its support for the kidnapping convictions of Ahmaud Arbery's murderers, arguing its decision "extends without limit" the federalization of criminal charges based on the mere presence of an automobile.
Areas of Coverage
- Influential appellate decisions in state supreme and federal circuit courts—especially those guiding trial strategy and evidentiary standards
- Developments in intermediate state appellate courts with potential to shape precedent.
- Federal, state, and local legislation or regulation impacting courts, prosecutors, and defenders.
- Developments from state attorneys general, including prosecutions, policy shifts, and personnel moves
- Criminal justice reform efforts and the impact on state and local prosecutions.
- Unique criminal cases at the trial court level, in state or federal court
- Civil appellate opinions affecting the criminal bar, such as rulings on qualified immunity.
- Innovations in criminal law education and defense training at law schools.
- Profiles of judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and others impacting criminal law.
- Studies or reports on the work of state and local prosecutors or public defenders.
- AGENCIES
- State and local prosecutors’ offices
- Public defender offices
- DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility
- State bar associations and judicial conduct bodies
- POLICY & REGULATION
- Rules of Criminal Procedure in state and local courts
- Professional conduct standards for criminal attorneysDOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility
- State legislative initiatives in criminal prosecutions and defense
- ENFORCEMENT
- Misconduct investigations and disciplinary actions involving prosecutors and defenders
- PROFILES
- Profiles of individual prosecutors, public defenders and private criminal defense attorneys
- Profiles of firms and public offices
Readership
- State and local prosecutors
- State and local public defenders
- Criminal defense attorneys in private practice
- Criminal justice reform advocates
- Law enforcement professionals
- Appellate specialists
- Legal academics and students
- Attorneys specializing in appeals of criminal cases
- Judges and court staff in the criminal courts
- Staff in state attorney generals offices
- Staff at the DOJ, working in the criminal division