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Criminal Practice

  • July 21, 2025

    How Criminal Law Is Shaped By Administrative Decisions

    Behind line prosecutors are administrators, policies, and day-to-day logistics that enable and shape not only prosecutors' work but trends in how justice is administered throughout the country, according to a New York University School of Law professor and researcher.

  • July 21, 2025

    States Embrace Second Look Laws To Reward Rehabilitation

    Criminal justice reform advocates have in recent years found an effective weapon against the effects of lengthy mandatory minimum sentences, convincing states to enact "Second Look" laws that enable judges to reward people in prison who show rehabilitation by shortening their original sentence.

  • July 18, 2025

    Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 18, 2025

    DOJ Asks To Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Files Amid GOP Flak

    The U.S. Department of Justice asked a New York federal judge on Friday to unseal grand jury testimony from the prosecution of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump faces a growing number of Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, asking for more transparency about the case.

  • July 18, 2025

    Competence Questions Prompt New Calif. Murder Trial

    A potentially intellectually disabled man who was found guilty of killing a woman and burying her body in his backyard is entitled to a new trial, a California state appeals court has ruled, finding that the lower court didn't properly determine his competency.

  • July 18, 2025

    Wash. Judge Halts Clergy Abuse Mandatory Reporter Law

    A Washington federal judge on Friday blocked the state from enforcing a new state law that would make Roman Catholic priests mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse, saying the law likely infringes on their religious freedom rights by forcing them to disclose information shared in sacred confession.

  • July 18, 2025

    Ill. Man Gets New Murder Trial Due To Improper Evidence

    An Illinois state appeals court has reversed a murder conviction for a man for a second time after finding the lower court incorrectly allowed evidence of unrelated crimes to be brought up at trial.

  • July 18, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says Gun Possession Requires Control Of Property

    A Pennsylvania man convicted of drug charges should not have also been found guilty of illegal gun possession, the Third Circuit ruled Friday in a precedential opinion that addressed novel issues, reasoning that prosecutors failed to show how the home where the firearms were found was under his control.

  • July 18, 2025

    7th Circ. OKs FBI Withholding Of Ex-Atty's Informant Records

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not violate the Freedom of Information Act by providing only some of the documents former lawyer Joel Brodsky requested related to his work as a confidential informant on corruption and murder investigations, the Seventh Circuit found on Friday, ruling that the FBI had properly justified its rationale.

  • July 18, 2025

    Cannabis And The Courts: A Midyear Litigation Review

    In the first half of 2025, lawsuits taking aim at state hemp restrictions, putative residency criteria in cannabis licensure programs and the federal policy that keeps users and convicted sellers of pot from lawfully owning guns were all briefed in multiple appellate courts across the country.

  • July 18, 2025

    Teen's Conviction Shows Risks Of Digital Forensic Ignorance

    As law enforcement increasingly relies on cellphone data as evidence to build cases, experts warn that a poor understanding of digital forensic analysis and the limited budgets of prosecutor and public defender offices will inevitably lead to wrongful convictions.

  • July 18, 2025

    Seven Months In, Race-Blind Charging Faces Test In Calif.

    In January, California adopted race-blind charging as a statewide policy, after a law passed in 2022 went into effect. Now, seven months into the program's statewide rollout, race-blind charging is showing both promise and limitations.

  • July 17, 2025

    2nd Circ. Overturns Ex-HSBC Exec's 2017 Fraud Conviction

    The Second Circuit on Thursday overturned the conviction of a former HSBC executive accused of defrauding a Scottish oil and gas company in a $3.5 billion currency exchange deal, finding his jury was improperly instructed on a now-invalid "right-to-control" theory of fraud.

  • July 17, 2025

    DOJ Seeks 1-Day Sentence For Ex-Cop In Breonna Taylor's Death

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday recommended a one-day sentence for a former Louisville Metro Police Department officer in Kentucky who fired shots into the home of Breonna Taylor the night she died in March 2020, according to the government's sentencing memorandum.

  • July 17, 2025

    COVID Fraudster Says State Can't Rescind Firefighter Pension

    A former Connecticut firefighter who pled guilty in relation to a West Haven COVID-19 relief fund scam says he should keep the pension he earned through 26 years of service in a neighboring city, arguing his crime bore no connection to his onetime employment and did not breach his union contract.

  • July 17, 2025

    Colo. Court Clarifies Virtual Hearing Rights For Defendants

    The Colorado Court of Appeals said Thursday that judges must provide criminal defendants with proper advisements before issuing sentences via the court's video interfacing service, Webex, but found a judge's error in the case at hand didn't cause any harm.

  • July 17, 2025

    7th Circ. Signs Off On Searches Tied To Convictions

    The Seventh Circuit has ruled that a warrant used to charge two men with cocaine trafficking and felony weapons crimes was valid and that a lower court was correct to allow the evidence turned up in the search to be presented at trial.

  • July 17, 2025

    7th Circ. Gives Man Second Shot To Argue Search Was Illegal

    A man who pled guilty to drug and weapons charges when an Illinois federal court refused to suppress evidence against him must get another shot at arguing that officers found the contraband during an illegal search, the Seventh Circuit ruled Thursday.

  • July 17, 2025

    How A NJ Clergy Abuse Probe Will Reshape Defense Strategy

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has cleared the way for a grand jury to investigate clergy abuse claims, bringing forward a rarely used prosecution tool that experts say will have reverberations on the strategies taken by lawyers representing powerful individuals and institutions even beyond the Catholic Church.

  • July 17, 2025

    Former Club Rugby Champ Jailed For Crypto Ponzi Scheme

    A Seattle federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a former national champion club rugby player to 30 months in prison for wire fraud after he defrauded investors with promises of building a new cryptocurrency mining operation.

  • July 17, 2025

    Banning Of Courtroom Snoozer Prompts New NY Murder Trial

    A man convicted of murder in Queens will get a new trial, a New York appeals court has ruled, finding that because his friend was permanently barred from watching the proceedings after falling asleep in court, the defendant was denied his Constitutional right to a public trial.

  • July 17, 2025

    Mass. Public Defender On Burnout, Bias And Legal Shifts

    Carla Barrett has spent the past 19 years working for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Massachusetts' public defenders. She told Law360 the job comes with challenges both structural and legal, adding that even among her prosecutorial counterparts, her work can often be misunderstood.

  • July 17, 2025

    Trouble Interpreting Nonverbal Witness Dooms Murder Verdict

    Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday found that a man convicted of murder is entitled to a new trial because a key witness against him is nonverbal and interpreters were not able to effectively communicate with her while she was on the stand.

  • July 16, 2025

    Fla. Man Convicted In Plot To Kill Fed Prosecutor, FBI Agent

    A Florida federal jury convicted a former university student of charges in connection with a murder-for-hire plot and attempting to kill U.S. government officials, including a prosecutor and FBI agent shortly before his trial commenced in a separate cyberstalking case.

  • July 16, 2025

    Pittsburgh Defense Atty Suspended After Soliciting 'Teen' Decoy

    A Pittsburgh criminal defense attorney agreed to have his law license suspended after he was convicted and sentenced to up to seven years in state prison for soliciting sex from what he thought was a 15-year-old girl, according to an order filed Wednesday with Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.

Expert Analysis

  • End-Of-Year FCPA Enforcement Surge Holds Clues For 2025

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    The last three months of 2024 saw more Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions than any quarter in the previous four years, providing lessons for companies — even as a new administration raises doubts about whether this momentum will continue, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Examining DOJ Corporate Whistleblower Pilot's First 100 Days

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    Though the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate whistleblower awards pilot program has successfully elicited numerous tips since its August launch, stakeholder feedback leaves questions about how the scheme compares to other whistleblower awards and protections — and how it will fare in the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Joseph Greenwald.

  • A Deep Dive Into DOJ's Proposed FARA Shake-Up

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recently published and long-awaited proposed amendments to the Foreign Agents Registration Act's implementing regulations, if adopted, would mark dramatic changes to the commercial exemption and new requirements for labeling informational materials, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley.

  • What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump

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    Colleges and universities should prepare for shifting priorities, as President-elect Donald Trump is likely to focus less on antitrust cases and more on foreign relations policy, while congressional oversight of higher education continues to increase, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4

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    In 2024's final quarter, the New York State Department of Financial Services published guidance on mitigating the rising cybersecurity risks of artificial intelligence and remote technology workers with North Korean ties, and the state attorney general launched an antitrust investigation into Capital One's proposed Discover merger, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • What FARA Enforcement In 2024 Reveals For The Year Ahead

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    A number of developments, from indictments to legislation, shaped the Foreign Agents Registration Act enforcement landscape last year, and following the U.S. Department of Justice's recently released long-awaited proposed amendments to the law, 2025 shows no signs of slowing down, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

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    After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.

  • Data Privacy Landscape After Mass. Justices' Wiretap Ruling

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    In Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital, Massachusetts’ highest court recently ruled that the state’s wiretap law doesn’t prohibit all tracking of website user activity, but major financial and reputational risks remain for businesses that aren't transparent about customer’s web data, says Seth Berman at Nutter.

  • Expect Continuity In 2025 Anti-Money Laundering Policy

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    The past year has seen a range of anti-money laundering actions from federal financial regulators, and notwithstanding the imminent change from the Biden administration to the Trump administration, continuity may be more prevalent than change in the AML compliance space in 2025, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • 5 Notable Anti-Money Laundering Actions From 2024

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    Regulators' renewed interest in anti-money laundering programs in 2024 led to numerous enforcement actions and individual prosecutions in industries like banking, cryptocurrency and gaming, including the blockbuster TD Bank settlement and investigations of casinos in Nevada, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • $3B TD Bank AML Settlement Is A Wake-Up Call For All Banks

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    TD Bank’s historic settlement over anti-money laundering violations, resulting in over $3 billion in penalties, reminds banks of all shapes and sizes why they need to take financial crime compliance seriously, and highlights three areas that may be especially vulnerable to enforcement, says Jack Harrington at Bradley Arant.

  • Trump Faces Uphill Battle If He Tries To Target Prosecutors

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    On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump promised to go after the state and federal prosecutors who had investigated and prosecuted him, but few criminal statutes would be applicable — to say nothing of the evidence required to substantiate any charges against prosecutors, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

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