DOJ to review Memphis police use of force following Tyre Nichols killing
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Wednesday announced a review of the Memphis Police Department’s (MPD) use of force and de-escalation policies following the January 7 killing of Tyre Nichols. The review will concentrate on the use of specialized police units like the SCORPION (Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit in [...]
Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske ordered Nye County’s hand count of ballots to cease immediately late Thursday night just hours after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled the county’s process violated state law. Cegavske’s order also prohibits any alternative hand counting process from beginning until the county and the Secretary can agree on its feasibility [...]
US Supreme Court denies review, maintains death sentence for Texas man
The US Supreme Court Monday denied certiorari in Andrus v. Texas; Justices Sotomayor, Breyer and Kagan dissented. Andrus was charged with capital murder for killing two individuals during a failed carjacking. After his conviction and sentence were affirmed by the state appellate courts, Andrus filed a habeas application and alleged that his trial counsel was [...]
Australia police officer found not guilty of murder of young indigenous man
An Australian jury found a police officer not guilty Friday of all charges related to the death of a young indigenous man in the remote community of Yuendumu, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Constable Zachary Rolfe shot and killed 19-year-old Walpiri man Kumanjayi Walker during an attempted arrest on the night of November 9, [...]
Federal appeals court allows Ohio to move forward with execution after failed attempt
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Tuesday denied Ohio death row inmate Romell Broom’s request for habeas relief and held that a second execution attempt would not constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Ohio had previously tried to execute Broom by lethal injection in 2009, but officials were [...]
Supreme Court finds constitutionally deficient counsel in Texas death penalty case
The US Supreme Court issued an unsigned opinion Monday finding that the petitioner was prejudiced at trial by constitutionally deficient counsel. The case, Andrus v. Texas, involved an attempted carjacking, which resulted in two deaths, and for which the petitioner, Terence Andrus, eventually received the death penalty. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found that, [...]
The US Supreme Court held Wednesday that the Sixth Amendment‘s presumption of prejudice of ineffective counsel applies to situations in which an attorney declines to file an appeal because an appeal waiver was signed as part of a plea agreement. The case, Garza v. Idaho, centered on Petitioner Gilberto Garza’s claim that his lawyer offered ineffective [...]
Tennessee judge rules removal of Confederate statutes in park does not violate state law
Davidson County state court chancery judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled on Wednesday that the removal of three statutes of Confederate generals in Memphis public parks did not violate state law. The Tennessee Heritage Protection Act prohibits the removal of monuments with historical significance from public property. However, the city sold the parks to a nonprofit, [...]
Trade Secrets (Part 2): The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016
JURIST Guest Columnist Uché Ewelukwa of the University of Arkansas School of Law, discusses the dynamic landscape of trade secret law in a multi-part series. In part 2, she discusses the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 ... Introduction Signed...
Lesbian appeals Mississippi court decision that she is not legal parent
Christina Strickland, represented by Lambda Legal Counsel , filed an appeal on Thursday to the Mississippi Supreme Court to challenge a lower court's ruling that she is not a legal parent of her ex-wife's...
