Complete Story
 

Criminal Justice News This Week (week of 05-11-20)

Justices Unanimously Overturn Bridgegate Convictions, Ruling Against Feds. "'[N]ot every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime,' the justices wrote."

A Few Pauses, and 'Sorry, Chief,' But Supreme Court Pulls Off Historic First. "Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. directed the arguments from the U.S. Supreme Court building, which has remained closed to the public for weeks amid the pandemic."

The Prince and the Proffer. "In recent months, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has issued forceful public statements regarding the apparent failure of Britain’s Prince Andrew to cooperate in an ongoing investigation of alleged sex-trafficking by the late Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. In this Corporate Crime article, Evan Barr examines whether these unusual actions were justified under the circumstances, and some of the challenges that lawyers for the Prince will surely confront as the investigation continues."

Social Distancing Informants Have Their Eyes on You. "Largely confined to their homes and worried about the spread of the coronavirus, members of the public are becoming unofficial watchdogs."

After U.S. pressure, Pennsylvania teacher is released from Egyptian prison and returns home. "A Pennsylvania teacher, held in an Egyptian prison for nearly 10 months without trial and on flimsy charges, was released Sunday and returned to the United States with her teenage son, human rights advocates said on Monday."

U.S. Supreme Court Debates Stare Decisis Principles. "In their Appellate Practice column, Thomas Newman and Steven Ahmuty discuss 'Apodaca v. Oregon,' and its companion case, 'Johnson v. Louisiana,' where a plurality of the U.S. Supreme Court held that although the Sixth Amendment right to trial by jury requires a unanimous jury verdict in federal criminal trials, it does not require a unanimous verdict in state criminal trials."

In History-Making First Online Arguments, Florida Supreme Court Tackles Marijuana Legalization.  "The Florida Supreme Court's first remote oral arguments demonstrated how messy things can get when state and federal laws conflict."

Digital Courtroom Advocacy: A Second Look. "What will happen when the pandemic subsides, as it eventually will? Will the advent of digital technology forever alter the way in which law is practiced in the courts?"

College Sexual Assault Rules Changed to Give More Rights to Accused.  ("Among other things, the new rules state that all parties in a complaint must be provided with the option of a live hearing to resolve allegations, given equal access to evidence and allowed to bring a lawyer to proceedings.")

Legal Industry Shed 64,000 Jobs in April as Layoffs and Furloughs Spread. "Cost-cutting measures at law firms and other major legal employers have continued to accelerate since they began in March."

Zoom Agrees to Security Measures After NY Attorney General Investigation. "A surge in users revealed security flaws in Zoom's platform, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James' office, and the company had an increase in the sensitivity of the data passing via its network."

Printer-Friendly Version