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Criminal Practice
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December 04, 2025
Dem Lawmakers Push Equity-Focused Cannabis Reforms
A group of Democratic Congress members on Thursday unveiled a proposed U.S. House of Representatives resolution urging Congress to push policies strengthening equity in the state-regulated marijuana markets and for the U.S. to encourage international drug reform.
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December 04, 2025
9th Circ. To Decide Agents' Immunity In Fatal Ariz. Shooting
An Arizona federal judge has agreed to let three U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents pause a lawsuit against them until the Ninth Circuit weighs in on whether they are immune from the suit claiming they wrongfully shot and killed a Tohono O'odham Nation man.
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December 04, 2025
NJ High Court Backs DVR Seizure In Murder-Arson Case
A man accused of murdering four of his family members, then trying to cover his tracks by setting houses ablaze, cannot suppress evidence taken by police from his burning property without a warrant, New Jersey's highest court said in a reversal Thursday, finding an exception applied.
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December 04, 2025
Texas Justices Weigh Fraud Claims Against Defense Attys
Texas justices had qualms with a law firm's argument that a former client and his mother can't bring fraud claims for a fee dispute, asking during oral arguments Thursday if the firm was contending that it is impossible for a defense lawyer to defraud their client.
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December 04, 2025
Suspension Over For Pa. Judge Accused Of COVID Fraud
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday ended a suspension without pay for a county judge who was accused of COVID-19 employment relief fraud following his entrance into a diversion agreement with federal prosecutors that ended with the indictment being dismissed.
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December 04, 2025
SDNY Judge Unsure Of Jurisdiction In Maurene Comey Suit
A Manhattan federal judge said Thursday he may not have jurisdiction over former prosecutor Maurene Comey's suit claiming President Donald Trump's rivalry with her father, former FBI Director James Comey, led to her firing.
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December 04, 2025
Appeal Of US Atty Invalidations May Be 'Devastating' To DOJ
As the list of interim and acting U.S. attorneys found to be unlawfully appointed under President Donald Trump grows, so too does the pressure on his administration to make the next move, which could force a risky strategic decision on whether to push the issue up to the U.S. Supreme Court, experts said.
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December 03, 2025
Street Preacher Goes Up Against Heck At High Court
U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday heard arguments over whether a street preacher convicted of a Mississippi state crime can use a federal civil rights lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the law used to convict him.
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December 03, 2025
4th Circ. Upholds 25-Year Sentence For Bomb Instruction
A man sentenced to 25 years in prison for teaching an informant how to use explosives to repel federal agents cannot argue the law used to convict him is unconstitutional, the Fourth Circuit ruled on Wednesday, with a dissenting judge worried the decision could have the effect of "chilling" free speech.
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December 03, 2025
'Dr. P.' Gets 2.5 Years For Selling Ketamine To Matthew Perry
A California federal judge sentenced a former physician who supplied Matthew Perry with ketamine before the "Friends" actor's overdose death to 2 years and 6 months in prison Wednesday, following the doctor's July guilty plea to four counts of illegally distributing the drug.
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December 03, 2025
Archegos Founder Says Davis Polk Job Offer Taints Restitution
Archegos founder Bill Hwang, who is serving an 18-year sentence for defrauding banks out of billions of dollars in loans used to manipulate the market, asked to vacate his restitution order because the presiding judge's clerk accepted a job with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, which represents victim-bank Morgan Stanley.
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December 03, 2025
5th Circ. Skeptical Of Swindler Texas Atty's 50-Year Sentence
A Fifth Circuit panel seemed dubious of the government's argument that a former Texas lawyer at the center of a sweeping Ponzi scheme knew he was agreeing to a 50-year stint in prison by pleading guilty, saying Wednesday that nobody signs up to die in prison.
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December 03, 2025
Ex-Execs Who Pled Guilty To $67M Fraud Settle With SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has moved to resolve its lawsuit accusing two former executives of an Illinois-based automobile financing company of misleading investors about the subprime automobile loans that backed a $100 million offering by the company now that they have pled guilty and been sentenced on fraud charges in a corresponding criminal case.
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December 03, 2025
Mass. Court Says Plea Deal Inattention May Be Ineffectiveness
Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday concluded that a lawyer's failure to seek a plea bargain if asked to do so by a defendant may amount to ineffective assistance of counsel requiring a new trial under certain circumstances.
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December 03, 2025
Judge Frees 10th Grader Arrested By 'Swarm' Of ICE Agents
A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of a 10th-grade student from Venezuela who was arrested last month at an immigration check-in, finding that his due process rights were violated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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December 03, 2025
NC Court Upholds Convictions Despite Cell Data Dispute
Two men sentenced to more than a decade in prison for shooting three people outside a restaurant cannot have a new trial because, even if cellphone evidence placing them near the crime scene was unreliable, it was not crucial to their convictions, a North Carolina appeals court said on Wednesday.
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December 03, 2025
Trump Pardons Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar And Wife
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife, Imelda Cuellar.
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December 02, 2025
NY Judge Seals Mangione's Arrest Footage Until Murder Trial
A New York state judge ruled Tuesday that footage of the arrest of Luigi Mangione, accused of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, will be sealed to the public — at least until he rules on its admissibility.
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December 02, 2025
4th Circ. Affirms Conviction Despite Search Warrant Omissions
The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a North Carolina man's convictions for child sexual abuse images, rejecting his claim that a detective omitted key information in a search warrant request that led to the discovery of the abuse materials.
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December 02, 2025
Exec To Admit To $1.6M Scheme Involving Taxes, Restitution
A Massachusetts executive has agreed to plead guilty in a scheme to avoid paying income taxes and restitution in a 2008 securities fraud case by receiving more than $1.6 million in compensation and benefits under the table, federal prosecutors announced.
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December 02, 2025
7th Circ. Judge Wary Of Releasing Hundreds Of ICE Detainees
A Seventh Circuit judge said Tuesday a district judge who released on bond hundreds of civil immigration detainees arrested by the Trump administration acted "as if these are two private parties negotiating over the terms of a contract" and suggested that allowing his orders to stand could allow one presidential administration to use consent decrees to entrench their policy positions on the next.
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December 02, 2025
DC Circ. Backs 20-Year Term In Park Police Assault Case
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a man convicted of dragging a U.S. Park Police officer through the streets of Washington, D.C., with his car was not unfairly resentenced when a federal judge set aside and then reimposed a 20-year prison term last year.
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December 02, 2025
Pa. Justices To Review Vote Restricting Solitary Confinement
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court will consider whether a 2021 voter referendum restricting the use of solitary confinement and pepper spray at the Allegheny County Jail infringed on the jail employee union's collective bargaining rights, the court announced Tuesday.
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December 02, 2025
Feds 'Engaging' MLB Pitchers On Plea Talks But No Offer Yet
A Brooklyn federal judge on Tuesday set a May trial date for two Major League Baseball pitchers accused of conspiring to throw pitches that would secure gambling payouts, after prosecutors expressed interest in exploring plea talks amid an ongoing investigation.
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December 01, 2025
Ex-Chicago Teacher Gets 1 Year For Southwest Voucher Fraud
A former Chicago Public Schools teacher was sentenced Monday to a year and one day in federal prison for stealing $732,000 from Southwest Airlines in a scheme through which he paid for fraudulent travel vouchers and resold them to others.
Expert Analysis
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5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust
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.
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How To Successfully Challenge Jurors For Cause In 5 Steps
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.
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Series
Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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DC Circ. Ruling Augurs More Scrutiny Of Blanket Gag Orders
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.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Negotiation Skills
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.
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What Justices Left Unsaid About The Federal Tort Claims Act
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.
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Opinion
Bar Exam Reform Must Expand Beyond A Single Updated Test
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.
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A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations
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.
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Strategies For ICE Agent Misconduct Suits In The 11th Circ.
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.
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DOJ Consumer Branch's End Leaves FDA Litigation Questions
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.
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Cos. Must Tailor Due Diligence As Trafficking Risks Increase
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.
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Series
Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review
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.
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Opinion
The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable
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.
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'Pig Butchering' Seizure Is A Milestone In Crypto Crime Fight
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.