The Quest For A 'Sound Basic Education' In North Carolina

By Abigail Harrison and Hayley Fowler

Robb Leandro was the original named plaintiff in one of the longest-running lawsuits in Tar Heel State history, centered on the state's constitutional obligation to provide children with a "sound basic education." Over three decades, a series of eponymous North Carolina Supreme Court opinions have steered the state toward what could be a multibillion-dollar remedy to improve public education. He's now waiting alongside millions of residents for the state's justices to release what could be a far-reaching opinion, more than two years after hearing oral argument.

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The Hypnosis That Helped Send A Man To Death Row

By Marco Poggio

The capital murder conviction of Charles Don Flores, a man on Texas’ death row, hinged on a courtroom identification by a witness who had previously undergone hypnosis. His lawyers are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, after Texas’ top court shot down his claims that the hypnosis session contaminated the witness’s memory and tainted her identification.

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Analysis

How 1st Circ. Ruling Is Shaping Heck Rule In Probation Cases

By Marco Poggio

A First Circuit ruling that pretrial probation is not a conviction under the Heck doctrine is now shaping civil rights cases, allowing plaintiffs to pursue claims after criminal charges are dismissed without any guilty plea or admission.

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Roundup

Balancing The Scales: $3M Jury Verdict, GEO Appeal Denial

By Orlando Lorenzo

A Philadelphia federal judge rejected bids to disturb a $3 million jury award and impose sanctions on plaintiff's counsel arising from proceedings he described as "near-daily Festivus celebrations, where everyone got to air their grievances 'for the sake of the record'" and a Detroit man saw his murder conviction vacated after 27 years due to the case's reliance on a coerced confession and a lack of physical evidence, among other access to justice stories you may have missed.

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'Community Justice' Plan Aims To Meet DC Legal Needs

By Emily Johnson

A Washington, D.C., court program launching next month aims to empower nonattorneys to provide some legal assistance, as a court task force found that a majority of district residents face civil legal issues without attorneys.

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Mass. Justices Won't Boost Pay For Court-Appointed Attys

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court on Monday declined a request to let state judges offer higher hourly rates to induce attorneys to accept court-appointed cases, a proposal meant to alleviate a shortage of appointed counsel in two of the state's busiest counties.

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Advocates Press Conn. Lawmakers For ICE Limits, Lawsuits

By Brian Steele

During a marathon public hearing Monday, a parade of activists urged the Connecticut Legislature's judiciary committee to pass changes to state law that would restrict immigration enforcement activities in places like schools and hospitals and expand legal remedies when federal agents violate citizens' constitutional rights.

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Somali Immigrants Sue To Block End Of Protected Status

By Elaine Briseño

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is facing another lawsuit over terminating a temporary protected status designation, with nonprofit groups and Somali individuals alleging the government's decision was rooted in racial animus.

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Rappers Tell Justices Lyrics Don't Justify Death Sentence

By Parker Quinlan

A group of major hip-hop artists and producers have filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting that the justices review a Texas death penalty case that relied on rap lyrics to support the government's claim that a defendant was an ongoing threat to society.

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NJ High Court Eyes Global Plea Deal After Nixed Conviction

By Brandon Lowrey

A man who pled guilty to two indictments urged the New Jersey Supreme Court to let him withdraw his global guilty plea Tuesday, saying that an appellate win in one of the cases has strengthened his negotiating position.

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Colo. High Court Requires Competency Before Mental Exams

By Parker Quinlan

A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Monday reversed a murder conviction for a woman who hit her boyfriend with a car, finding she must be deemed mentally competent before she can submit to mental health testing required for her defense. 

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Pa. High Court To Determine If Miranda Waiver Wavered

By Elizabeth Daley

A murder-for-hire defendant urged the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday to uphold an order tossing his conviction, saying during oral arguments that an appellate court rightfully found a detective violated his Miranda rights by telling him during an interview, "Nobody's using anything in court."

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Ex-Cop, Examiner Fight Brothers' Wrongful Conviction Suit

By Melanie Dorsey

A Michigan federal judge heard arguments Wednesday regarding whether two brothers' lawsuit over their wrongful conviction for murder should head to a jury, with the plaintiffs and a former law enforcement officer and an ex-polygraph examiner debating if the decision to prosecute the brothers actually hinged on a witness's polygraph test that was later found to be erroneous.

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Conn. Murder Exoneree Sues City After Retrial, Acquittal

By Parker Quinlan

A Connecticut man has filed a lawsuit against the city of Hartford and a forensic expert he claims withheld evidence in a murder investigation that led to him being tried twice before the state Supreme Court overturned his conviction and a third jury acquitted him of all charges.

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NY Court Grants New Trial For 1998 NYC Restaurant Murder

By Elizabeth Daley

A man who was convicted of murder for the 1998 shooting death of an employee at a Brooklyn Chinese restaurant has been granted another trial in light of new witness statements, with a New York Appeals Court reversing a lower court's decision.

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Split 2nd Circ.: NY Officials Belong In Inmate Mental Health Suit

By Parker Quinlan

A split Second Circuit has revived a man's lawsuit alleging state prison officials unconstitutionally placed him in solitary confinement, worsening his mental health condition and ultimately causing him to stab his mother after his release.

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3rd Circ. Grants Man Serving Life A Shot At Habeas Relief

By Elizabeth Daley

A man convicted of murder in Philadelphia and sentenced to life without parole will have another chance to argue that a police officer who testified in his case and whose niece he dated was biased against him, a Third Circuit panel found in a split decision.

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4th Circ. Revives SC Prisoner Suit Over Exercise Restrictions

By Parker Quinlan

The Fourth Circuit has ruled that a disabled incarcerated person in South Carolina can continue his pro se lawsuit against administrators who ordered he be held in his cell nearly constantly without access to adequate exercise for over 10 months.

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11th Circ. Lets Lethal Injection Continue Despite Pain Claims

By Parker Quinlan

The Eleventh Circuit has ruled that the state of Georgia can proceed with the lethal injection of a man who claims that the execution method would cause him extreme pain because his veins cannot support intravenous access, making it cruel and unusual punishment.

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