Recent Blog Posts
Police Seek Private Phone Data for Everyone near a Crime Scene within Last Year
In a move that has alarmed civil rights advocates all over the country, in mid-March, police officers in North Carolina served Google with approximately five search warrants, demanding that the company hand over cell phone data for every single person who “in the vicinity” of various crimes over the last year. Specifically, police were… Read More »
Yale Rape Verdict Shows That Different Standards Are Used In Campus Hearings versus Courtrooms
When a jury found Yale college student Saifullah Khan not guilty of rape after three hours of deliberations in early March, news sources were quick to cover the story, noting that, where a campus panel might find evidence that one student had committed a sex crime (rape) against another, this evidence was insufficient for… Read More »
11th Circuit Asked To Clarify Product Liability Law
The 11th Circuit (covering Florida) has been asked to provide an opinion on a very important product liability lawsuit involving to what extent companies who produce seat belt components can be held liable any defects that lead to accidents if the car company itself ultimately designed and approved the restraint system. Specifically, the subsidiary… Read More »
State Supreme Court Hears Key Case on Defendants’ Access to Social Media to Build Case
On March 6th, the California Supreme Court heard a case that could have broad implications for the rest of the country regarding the ability for criminal defendants to access social media information in order to build the best, most comprehensive defense, as is their legal right. Specifically, the case could determine just how much… Read More »
New Bill Sparks Civil Rights Debate on Criminalization of Youth
A new bill introduced in Congress—H.R. 4909, the “Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act of 2018—has many civil rights advocates concerned. Some have pointed out that it could exacerbate the school-to-prison crisis, further criminalize children, and increase the militarization and over-policing of communities of color, and have already started reaching out… Read More »
The Growing Link between Neuroscience & Criminal Defense
According to this recent article by Scientific American, neuroscience is playing a larger part in criminal defense cases every day. This neurological evidence is typically introduced in the form of behavioral tests, brain scans, and psychological evaluations; sometimes even as grounds to question the competence of legal representation previously received. As a result, a… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Point to Importance of Experienced Criminal Defense Attorneys
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor made a speech about criminal defense attorneys in her recent visit to the University of Houston Law Center, expressing just how important it is that criminal defense lawyers in particular have the skills and experience to be true advocates. Sotomayor—along with other justices such as Kagan—have specifically made… Read More »
Florida Teen Suicide Raises Questions about Charging Minors with Cyberbullying
In January, two Florida students were charged with cyberstalking (i.e. online bullying) in connection with the death of a middle-school student who killed herself earlier that month. While police are still investigating the exact cause of death, reportedly, once police were made aware of potential cyberbullying, they insisted upon closely examining cellphone and social… Read More »
New DNA Database Could Improve Criminal Justice
Forensic DNA occupies a controversial place in our criminal justice system: On the one hand, it can serve as a valuable tool to link suspects to the scene of a crime. On the other hand, some forensic testing methods have come under fire for accuracy and reliability problems, especially given that there has never… Read More »
Florida Bill Introduced To Prevent Immigrant Workers from Getting Arrested For Workplace Injuries
Many people do not realize that the criminalization and arrest of thousands of immigrants hasn’t just been conducted and facilitated by Immigration Enforcement over the last year, but also via workers’ compensation insurance companies, who, according to a recent investigation by ProPublica and NPR, have reportedly been turning in unauthorized immigrants when they report… Read More »
