Criminal Practice

  • July 31, 2026

    Ariz. Justices Clarify Clergy Minor Abuse Reporting Laws

    Arizona's highest court has unanimously determined that under the state's child abuse statute, clergy members who learn about an abuse of a minor are not required to report it if the clergy learned about the abuse through confession, or if reporting it would violate their religion.

  • July 31, 2026

    Conn. Justices Revive Lawsuit Over Killer's Hospital Release

    The Connecticut Supreme Court for the first time Friday said mental health providers must try to protect identifiable victims from dangerous patients, ordering a Hartford HealthCare subsidiary to face ordinary negligence claims from the estate of a woman slain by her former boyfriend, a dentist who then killed himself.

  • July 31, 2026

    Michigan Justices Nix Teen's 'Cruel' 50-Year Murder Sentence

    Michigan's highest court has ruled that a 50- to 75-year sentence for a teenager convicted of second-degree murder was unconstitutionally cruel or unusual, calling the prison term "grossly disproportionate" in its latest ruling limiting severe sentences for young offenders.

  • July 31, 2026

    Mich. High Court Tosses Murder Conviction Over DNA Test

    A man convicted of first-degree murder will receive a new trial after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that police violated the state constitution by testing blood on his pants without a warrant or his consent. 

  • July 31, 2026

    Fla. Tells 11th Circ. Migrant Transport Law Isn't Preempted

    Florida urged the Eleventh Circuit on Friday to reverse an injunction blocking a state law that criminalizes the transportation of immigrants living in the country illegally, arguing that the law's challengers are reading the state law too broadly.

  • July 31, 2026

    NY Public Defense Org. Denies Union's ULP Claims

    The Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem's leadership on Friday denied allegations from the union representing its more than 100 employees that it has offered unlawful incentives to break its ongoing strike.

  • July 30, 2026

    Minneapolis' Former Top Public Defender Gets Disbarred

    The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday disbarred Hennepin County's former chief public defender after he was convicted of felony tax evasion and found to have misappropriated client funds, calling his actions "the most serious types of attorney misconduct."

  • July 30, 2026

    Murdaugh Seeks Independent Retest of Wife's Fingernail DNA

    Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh on Thursday asked a state court to order that DNA evidence recovered from his wife's fingernails be tested by an independent laboratory, arguing that state lab tests are not thorough enough to be useful in his retrial on charges that he murdered his family.

  • July 30, 2026

    Fla. Panel Says Gun Selfie Was Fair Evidence In Murder Case

    A Florida state appellate court upheld a murder conviction for a man sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a woman over several pairs of sneakers, ruling that a selfie of the shooter brandishing a handgun wasn't prejudicial in the case. 

  • July 30, 2026

    5th Circ. Upholds Plea Term Requiring Mental Health Meds

    The Fifth Circuit has ruled that a Texas man still cannot overturn a special sentencing condition requiring him to take prescribed mental health medication even despite the U.S. Supreme Court granting the man's appeal and setting a new standard for exceptions to appeal waivers in plea deals.

  • July 30, 2026

    Conn. Bans Most In-Cell Restraints To Settle Prison Lawsuit

    Connecticut's prisons on Sept. 1 will stop using separate restraints on inmates locked in holding cells, the state's corrections commissioner announced Thursday, settling a lawsuit by disability rights advocates who said the state was inappropriately using shackles to deal with mental illness symptoms.

  • July 30, 2026

    Defenders Have 'Ethical Duty' To Use AI, NACDL Paper Says

    Horror stories abound about lawyers getting punished for filing briefs riddled with artificial-intelligence hallucinations. But in a report released Thursday, the nation's biggest criminal defense association said attorneys should be just as scared about failing to make enough use of the new technology.

  • July 30, 2026

    Jailed Ex-Union Head Again Denied Release To Care For Wife

    After reconsidering his previous denial of incarcerated ex-Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty's request for compassionate release to care for his disabled wife, a Pennsylvania federal judge has again held that the former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 business manager should remain in prison to serve out his six-year sentence for bribery and embezzlement.

  • July 30, 2026

    Ohio Panel Says Burnt Pot Smell Justified Vehicle Search

    An Ohio appeals court has ruled that even though marijuana is legal in the state, law enforcement can use visible signs of the drug's use as probable cause to search a vehicle, as driving while intoxicated is still a crime.

  • July 30, 2026

    DOJ Debuts Terrorist Removal Court In Afghan Mother's Case

    An Afghan national with legal permanent resident status was accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024 in the first ever hearing Thursday morning at U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a court that has been unused since it was created in 1996.

  • July 30, 2026

    Trump May Renominate Blanche If GOP Holdouts Block Vote

    With Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., still on the fence about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation to be attorney general, President Donald Trump said Thursday he might renominate Blanche next year when the two senators are no longer serving in the Senate.

  • July 30, 2026

    2 Traders Admit Guilt In Stolen BigLaw Info Scheme

    Two men pled guilty Thursday in Massachusetts federal court to their roles in a sweeping scheme to trade on inside information stolen from huge corporate law firms about upcoming deals.

  • July 30, 2026

    Bronx Legal Aid Organization's Union Rejects New Pay Offer

    The Bronx Defenders' executive director said on Thursday that the union representing the organization's over 300 attorneys and staff has rejected an updated offer on wages, with both sides still at odds over the prospect of separate salary scales for lawyers and social workers.

  • July 30, 2026

    DA Says Trump's NY Hush Money Conviction Must Stand

    New York prosecutors told a state appellate court that President Donald Trump's 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records is "unaffected" by the U.S. Supreme Court's watershed presidential immunity decision and should be upheld.

  • July 29, 2026

    Comey Rips '86 47' Case, Says Warrants 'Misstated Facts'

    James Comey is taking another angle in his effort to dismiss an indictment stemming from a picture of seashells he posted on Instagram, telling a North Carolina federal judge that the government is pursuing the "vindictive" case because of President Donald Trump's "deep-seated animosity" toward the former FBI director.

  • July 29, 2026

    Former Trump Lawyer Officially Takes The Helm At SDNY

    James McDonald, a former Sullivan & Cromwell LLP partner who represented President Donald Trump in his appeal of his criminal conviction, was sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday after McDonald's predecessor Jay Clayton departed to serve as director of national intelligence.

  • July 29, 2026

    NJ Justices Clarify New-Evidence Standards In Murder Case

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Wednesday held that one of its opinions concerning requests for retrial due to newly discovered evidence has a higher threshold than the similar U.S. Supreme Court landmark case Brady v. Maryland.

  • July 29, 2026

    8th Circ. Reverses Meth User Gun Case Over New Rulings

    The Eighth Circuit has reversed a Missouri man's gun conviction, finding that a decision earlier this year from the U.S. Supreme Court changes what kind of analysis is needed to decide whether to dismiss firearms-related charges filed against known drug users.

  • July 29, 2026

    Conn. Panel Says No Mistrial After 'Known Felon' Remark

    The Connecticut Appellate Court has ruled that a man convicted of conspiracy to commit murder was not entitled to a mistrial just because a police detective's testimony that DNA evidence in the case matched a profile for a "known felon."

  • July 29, 2026

    Film Producer Charged In $100M Alleged Ponzi Scheme

    A film producer has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud in Illinois federal court, with prosecutors claiming in an indictment unsealed Tuesday that he bilked more than $100 million from investors in a Ponzi scheme.

Expert Analysis

  • Key False Claims Act Trends From The Last Year

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    The False Claims Act remains a powerful enforcement tool after some record verdicts and settlements in 2025, and while traditional fraud areas remain a priority, new initiatives are raising questions about its expanding application, says Veronica Nannis at Joseph Greenwald.

  • Reel Justice: 'Die My Love' And The Power Of Visuals At Trial

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    The powerful use of imagery to capture the protagonist’s experience of postpartum depression in “Die My Love” reminds attorneys that visuals at trial can persuade jurors more than words alone, so they should strategically wield a new federal evidence rule allowing for illustrative aids, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University.

  • Series

    Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

  • Postconviction Law In 2026: A Recalibration, Not A Revolution

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    As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to issue decisions in several federal postconviction cases in the coming months, the justices appear focused on restoring coherence to a system in which sentencing modification, collateral review and finality increasingly overlap, and success for practitioners will depend on strategic clarity, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • How A 1947 Tugboat Ruling May Shape Work Product In AI Era

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    Rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence test work-product principles first articulated in the U.S. Supreme Court’s nearly 80-year-old Hickman v. Taylor decision, as courts and ethics bodies confront whether disclosure of attorneys’ AI prompts and outputs would reveal their thought processes, say Larry Silver and Sasha Burton at Langsam Stevens.

  • Opinion

    Faulty Legal Assumptions Obscure Police Self-Defense Law

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    As illustrated by the public commentary surrounding the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent, lawyers sometimes have mistaken assumptions about the applicability of self-defense when law enforcement officers deploy deadly force, but the governing legal standard is clear, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • Navigating Privilege Law Patchwork In Dual-Purpose Comms

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    Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to resolve a circuit split in In re: Grand Jury, federal courts remain split as to when attorney-client privilege applies to dual-purpose legal and business communications, and understanding the fragmented landscape is essential for managing risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Fly-Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Much like skilled attorneys, the best anglers prize preparation, presentation and patience while respecting their adversaries — both human and trout, says Rob Braverman at Braverman Greenspun.

  • 4 Ways GCs Can Manage Growing Service Of Process Volume

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    As automation and arbitration increase the volume of legal filings, in-house counsel must build scalable service of process systems that strengthen corporate governance and manage risk in real time, says Paul Mathews at Corporation Service Co.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Forming Measurable Ties

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    Relationship-building should begin as early as possible in a law firm merger, as intentional pathways to bringing people together drive collaboration, positive client response, engagements and growth, says Amie Colby at Troutman.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2026 And Beyond

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    2026 will likely be shaped by issues ranging from artificial intelligence regulatory turbulence to potential evidence rule changes, and e-discovery professionals will need to understand how to effectively guide the responsible and defensible adoption of emerging tools, while also ensuring effective safeguards, say attorneys at Littler.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • 3 DC Circ. Rulings Signal Shift In Search And Seizure Doctrine

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    A trio of decisions from courts in the District of Columbia Circuit, including a recent order compelling prosecutors to return materials seized from James Comey’s former attorney, makes clear that continued government possession of digital evidence may implicate the Fourth Amendment, says Gregory Rosen at RJO.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

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