Volume 21 Issue 6 November 2009. Table of Contents Sex and Race in the Courtroom: Shifting Gender-Role Attitudes in a Changing World Online and Wired for Justice: Why Jurors Turn to the Internet Jury Research for Settlement: The Price is Right? Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI) vs. Not Guilty by…
For week ending November 13, 2009. PREPARED BY: Michael Chernicoff Looser Rules on Sentencing Stir Concerns About Equity http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125738940063830037.html The Supreme Court cases of The United State v. Booker in 2005 (http://origin.www.supremecourtus.gov/qp/04‐00104qp.pdf ) and Cunningham v. California (http://origin.www.supremecourtus.gov/qp/05‐06551qp.pdf), which gave federal judges more flexibility to depart from sentencing guideline, have…
An Acting Supreme Court Justice in Manhattan dismissed a 1991 murder indictment “with prejudice” yesterday, finding an inmate jailed 18 years to be “actually innocent”. Justice John A. Cataldo found that the conviction of Fernando Bermudez to have been undermined by flawed identification procedures and the submission of testimony that…
November 12, 2009. Update from the Lexis Alert Service, 1. People v. Johnson, 9973, 1634/02, SUPREME COURT OF NEW YORK, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT, 2009 NY Slip Op 8052; 2009 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 7904, November 10, 2009, Decided, November 10, 2009, Entered, THE LEXIS PAGINATION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS…
For week ending November 6, 2009 Top Ten Stories: Law Firms Ropes & Gray Associate Arrested in Galleon Probe Nov 5, 2009, 09:39 am CST Criminal Justice Sidley Austin Rescinds Offer to New Hire Suspected of Setting Fire to 9-11 Chapel Nov 2, 2009, 01:05 pm CST Media & Communications…
David Badertscher One hundred years ago last Tuesday (November 3, 1909) the criminal court building in Manhattan (bounded by Centre, Lafayette, Franklin, and White Streets) was declared unsafe for human occupancy and everyone in the building at the time was ordered to leave immediately. According to a New York Times…
The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 includes a section requiring restitution for victims of sex crimes. Although “Amy” was videotaped being sexually abused as a child, she has been given awards ranging from the millions to nothing. One judge in Arkansas claimed there was no way to assess and…
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has about 50 officers working on a small but growing gang problem within the city. Deputy Chief William Benjamin told an audience at Arlington High School that, “We have a small problem compared to other cities, but we have a problem.” The main speaker at…
A hearing will be held Wednesday on the effects of a bill that would legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana. Tax officials estimate the legislation could bring about $1.4 billion a years. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has indicated he would be open to a “robust debate” on the issue. The separate initiatives…
An update to the federal hate crime statutes originally passed by Congress in 1968 will be signed by President Obama. This update will include protections to gay, lesbian, transgender, and disabled people. Despite this, many of the people who worked on this bill do not expect more people to be…