Criminal Practice

  • October 24, 2025

    Okla. Drug Enforcers Claim Immunity Against Hemp Seizure Suit

    Oklahoma drug enforcers urged a federal judge Friday to dismiss a $4 million lawsuit brought by hemp companies alleging state and local law enforcement wrongfully seized a shipment of federally lawful hemp bound from California to North Carolina.

  • October 24, 2025

    4 Years Of Litigation Over $41K? Welcome To Civil Forfeiture

    Lawyers for the Institute for Justice have spent years trying to get back $41,000 of their client's cash that law enforcement seized during a traffic stop in Texas. They say the case underscores the fundamental unfairness of civil forfeiture, and hope to challenge the process in the nation's highest courts.

  • October 24, 2025

    Fla. Judge Accused Of Trying To Influence Death Penalty Case

    A Florida appellate judge has been hit with ethics charges alleging she exchanged a series of text messages with a state attorney in an attempt to influence postconviction litigation in a death penalty case.

  • October 24, 2025

    DC Judge Nominee Pledges To Work To Eliminate Backlog

    A nominee for a local court in Washington, D.C., highlighted during his confirmation hearing Thursday how he would seek to alleviate the overburdened court system in the district. 

  • October 24, 2025

    NY High Court Says Filing Deadline Is Before Midnight

    A Brooklyn man who tried to escape misdemeanor charges by arguing that state prosecutors filed their "statement of readiness" three minutes past a 5 p.m. deadline was spurned by New York's highest court, which said the deadline under criminal law was actually before midnight, affirming an appellate decision.

  • October 24, 2025

    Chief Clerk Arrested For Theft Still Runs Schenectady Court

    The chief clerk of the top trial court in Schenectady, New York, was arrested for shoplifting in June, but has continued to manage the court as its highest-ranking employee while her misdemeanor charge remains pending.

  • October 24, 2025

    NY AG Pleads Not Guilty, Says Prosecutor's Appt. Is 'Unlawful'

    New York Attorney General Letitia James pled not guilty in Virginia federal court Friday to mortgage-related fraud charges that she says are part of President Donald Trump's revenge campaign against his perceived political foes, teeing up a fight over a White House-appointed prosecutor's legal authority.

  • October 23, 2025

    Alabama Carries Out 7th Nitrogen Gas Execution

    The state of Alabama executed a man through nitrogen gas suffocation Thursday evening after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, marking the state's seventh execution using the controversial method that an increasing number of states have adopted in recent years.

  • October 23, 2025

    Mugging Suspect Shouldn't Have Been Frisked, NY Court Says

    A man convicted of a mugging in New York City in 2019 who then led police on a high-speed car chase shouldn't have been frisked after cops discovered the victim's wallet in his pocket, a New York appeals court panel said Thursday, reversing his robbery convictions.

  • October 23, 2025

    Man Who Pled Guilty To Killing Parents Wins Chance At Retrial

    A New York appeals court ruled Thursday that a man who pled guilty to murdering his parents in 1996 can argue that ineffective counsel led him to that plea choice, having been advised that his life-without-parole sentence would be reduced if the death penalty were struck down in the state.

  • October 23, 2025

    Colo. Court Backs 96-Year Sentence For Repeat Offender

    The Colorado Appellate Court Thursday upheld a 96-year sentence for a man convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault, applying for the first time the state's recent high court decision that allows more severe penalties for repeat offenders provided a jury, not a judge, examines the defendant's criminal history.

  • October 23, 2025

    Calif. Injury Atty Convicted Of Manslaughter Over DUI Crash

    A Southern California personal injury attorney has been convicted of felony vehicular manslaughter for driving while intoxicated and causing a 2019 freeway collision that resulted in the death of a U.S. Postal Service big rig driver, according to Orange County prosecutors.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-NY Atty Gets Sentence Reduced In Grand Larceny Case

    A New York appeals court on Thursday ruled that a prison term for a disbarred attorney who pled guilty to stealing over half a million dollars from the estate he was hired to represent was too high, ordering that it be reduced.

  • October 23, 2025

    Ex-ComEd CEO Asks 7th Circ. For Bail Pending Appeal

    Former Exelon Utilities and Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore has renewed her request to remain out of jail while she seeks to unwind her criminal conviction and two-year prison sentence, this time asking the Seventh Circuit for bond ahead of her December surrender date.

  • October 23, 2025

    1st Circ. Affirms Navy Officer Conviction In Afghan Visa Scam

    The First Circuit affirmed a New Hampshire jury's conviction of a U.S. Navy Reserve officer who participated in a scheme to provide letters of recommendation for Afghans seeking visas to enter the United States in exchange for money.

  • October 23, 2025

    High Court Urged To Review Police Use Of Geofencing Data

    A Texas man has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether law enforcement violated his rights when police used anonymized bulk Google data they obtained through a warrant in an attempt to locate him and whether that constitutes an illegal search.

  • October 23, 2025

    Mich. Defense Atty Charged With Smuggling Drugs Into Prison

    A Michigan criminal defense lawyer has been accused of attempting to smuggle drugs into a state prison during a client visit, according to court records.

  • October 23, 2025

    Fla. Court Pauses Marijuana Patients' Gun Rights Case

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday agreed to pause a case weighing the constitutionality of a federal ban on medical marijuana patients owning guns after the U.S. Supreme Court recently said it would take up a case on a similar question.

  • October 23, 2025

    NBA Coach Billups, Guard Rozier Arrested In Gambling Bust

    Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, and Terry Rozier, a point guard with the Miami Heat, have been arrested on federal gambling charges in what the FBI on Thursday called a "sweeping" and "historic" Mafia-linked crackdown.

  • October 22, 2025

    Mass. Inmate's Claim Over Denied Photocopies Can Continue

    A transgender woman incarcerated at a men's prison, where she was allegedly illegally denied photocopies needed to fight her murder conviction, shouldn't have her suit against the Massachusetts Department of Justice dismissed, the state's intermediate-level appeals court ruled Wednesday, saying that her rights were potentially violated.

  • October 22, 2025

    Hi-Tech Pharma Fraud Charges Just A 'Paper Case,' Jury Told

    A Georgia-based dietary supplement outfit and its longtime CEO urged a Peach State jury Wednesday to acquit them of charges that they forged regulatory documents and slipped prescription drugs into their pills, deriding the federal charges against them as "regulation by prosecution."

  • October 22, 2025

    Boston Man Exonerated In 1975 Murder Sues City

    A New England man who was exonerated after spending more than 15 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit said the city of Boston and the detectives who helped lock him up acted maliciously and were to blame for the years stolen from him.

  • October 22, 2025

    Ohio Supreme Court Says Juror Was Impartial In Rape Trial

    An Ohio Supreme Court majority, in rejecting a man's appeal of his rape conviction, ruled Wednesday that criminal defendants seeking to prove juror bias must demonstrate that specific jurors have an "irrational or unshakable bias" and a complete unwillingness to apply the law impartially.

  • October 22, 2025

    NY AG James Seeks Canal Street ICE Raid Photos, Videos

    New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday opened a new online portal for pictures and videos of federal immigration enforcement actions following a massive raid on street vendors on Canal Street in Lower Manhattan.

  • October 22, 2025

    Widow Not Liable For Husband's Tax Debt, 4th Circ. Told

    An 80-year-old widow whose husband was imprisoned after hiding more than $20 million from the IRS told the Fourth Circuit that he was "abusive and controlling" and that she shouldn't have to pay the millions of dollars they jointly owe, despite contrary claims by the government.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust

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    Amid salacious headlines about lawyers behaving badly and recent polls showing the public’s increasingly unfavorable view of attorneys, we must make meaningful changes to our culture to rebuild trust in the legal system, says Carl Taylor at Carl Taylor Law.

  • How To Successfully Challenge Jurors For Cause In 5 Steps

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    To effectively challenge a potential juror for cause, attorneys should follow a multistep framework rather than skipping straight to the final qualification question, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Series

    Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    On the trail, I have thought often about the parallels between hiking and high-stakes patent litigation, and why strategizing, preparation, perseverance and joy are important skills for success in both endeavors, says Barbara Fiacco at Foley Hoag.

  • DC Circ. Ruling Augurs More Scrutiny Of Blanket Gag Orders

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    The D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in In re: Sealed Case, finding that an omnibus nondisclosure order was too sweeping, should serve as a wake-up call to prosecutors and provide a road map for private parties to push back on overbroad secrecy demands, says Gregory Rosen at Rogers Joseph.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Negotiation Skills

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    I took one negotiation course in law school, but most of the techniques I rely on today I learned in practice, where I've discovered that the process is less about tricks or tactics, and more about clarity, preparation and communication, says Grant Schrantz at Haug Barron.

  • What Justices Left Unsaid About The Federal Tort Claims Act

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Martin v. U.S. rejected the Eleventh Circuit's interpretation of the Federal Tort Claims Act in the case of a botched police raid — but left unresolved many questions about plaintiffs' ability to hold the government accountable for officers' misdeeds, says Scott Brooks at Levy Firestone.

  • Opinion

    Bar Exam Reform Must Expand Beyond A Single Updated Test

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    Recently released information about the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen Uniform Bar Exam highlights why a single test is not ideal for measuring newly licensed lawyers’ competency, demonstrating the need for collaborative development, implementation and reform processes, says Gregory Bordelon at Suffolk University.

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Strategies For ICE Agent Misconduct Suits In The 11th Circ.

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    Attorneys have numerous pathways to pursue misconduct claims against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Eleventh Circuit, and they need not wait for the court to correct its misinterpretation of a Federal Tort Claims Act exception, says Lauren Bonds at the National Police Accountability Project.

  • DOJ Consumer Branch's End Leaves FDA Litigation Questions

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    With the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Branch set to occur by Sept. 30, companies must carefully monitor how responsibility is reallocated for civil and criminal enforcement cases related to products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Cos. Must Tailor Due Diligence As Trafficking Risks Increase

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    As legislators, prosecutors and plaintiffs attorneys increasingly focus on labor and sex trafficking throughout the U.S., companies must tailor their due diligence strategies to protect against forced labor trafficking risks in their supply chains, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • 'Pig Butchering' Seizure Is A Milestone In Crypto Crime Fight

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    The U.S.' recent seizure of $225 million in crypto funds in a massive "pig butchering" scheme highlights the transformative impact of blockchain analysis in law enforcement, and the increasing necessity of collaboration between law enforcement agencies, cryptocurrency exchanges and stablecoin issuers, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

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