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Criminal Practice
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July 16, 2025
Gilgo Beach Killer Case Puts New DNA Science To The Test
The only physical evidence linking the Gilgo Beach serial killings to the defendant, Rex Heuermann, are five hairs that could only be analyzed via a newer technique known as whole genome sequencing, but as the court decides whether the science is jury ready, experts are divided.
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July 16, 2025
8th Circ. Backs Enhanced Sentence In SD Carjacking Case
The Eighth Circuit ruled on Wednesday that a man convicted of aiding and abetting a carjacking and various firearms charges cannot have his nearly 20-year prison term overturned after being given a sentence enhancement.
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July 16, 2025
Fla. Panel Reverses Evidence Suppression In Drug Case
A Florida state appeals panel on Wednesday reversed a lower court and held that evidence from a search warrant in a drug possession case should be allowed at trial, finding that police were justified in suspecting the defendant's home contained evidence.
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July 16, 2025
Family Of Philly Teacher Pushes City For Answers On Death
The family of Ellen Greenberg, a Philadelphia teacher whose 2011 death was ruled a suicide despite 20 stab wounds, is pressing city officials to honor a settlement in which they agreed to revisit her cause of death after a decade-long legal battle.
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July 16, 2025
Ga. Prosecutor Resigns Amid DUI Handling Feud With Judge
A Georgia prosecutor announced his resignation from a county solicitor's post Wednesday amid a public feud with a state court judge and dueling allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct.
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July 16, 2025
Mass. Judges To Mull Dismissals Amid Defender Pay Standoff
Nearly two months after many court-appointed attorneys in Massachusetts stopped accepting new cases over what they say is poor pay, a solution still appears elusive, even as judges will soon start hearing motions to dismiss cases under an emergency order issued by a state high court justice.
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July 16, 2025
Judge Sets Execution Date In Shaken Baby Syndrome Case
A Texas judge on Wednesday granted the state's request to set an execution date for a man convicted of killing his daughter based on a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome despite his pending appeal before the state's highest criminal court.
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July 16, 2025
Suspect Arrested In Hit-And-Run Death Of Morgan Lewis Atty
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal hit-and-run bicycle accident last week in West Hollywood, California, that caused the death of a Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP first-year litigation associate.
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July 16, 2025
Jeanine Pirro Scrutinized On Jan. 6, Ex-Husband's Pardon
Former Fox News host and New York state judge Jeanine Pirro, nominated to be U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, fielded questions from senators Wednesday on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and President Donald Trump's pardon of her ex-husband, ahead of the anticipated committee vote on her nomination.
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July 16, 2025
Ex-Commissioner's RICO Suit Calls NYPD 'Criminal At Its Core'
A former New York Police Department commissioner on Wednesday sued Mayor Eric Adams and other city officials in federal court alleging they ran the police department as a criminal enterprise that hid misconduct, paid out millions of taxpayer dollars to politically connected officers, and retaliated against him and his wife when he blew the whistle.
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July 16, 2025
Cheesesteak Maker Gets 2 Mos. Sliced From Prison Sentence
A member of the family behind the popular Tony Luke's cheesesteak shop in South Philadelphia was re-sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison, marking a two-month reduction of the original term he'd received for paying employees under the table.
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July 15, 2025
11th Circ. Backs Enhancements In Cocaine Trafficking Case
A federal appeals panel in the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday published an opinion finding that a Florida man who pled guilty to federal drug trafficking charges was correctly given a sentence enhancement for career criminals after being found guilty in state court of other offenses including trafficking cocaine, and that he could not challenge the validity of his guilty plea.
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July 15, 2025
9th Circ. Rejects Sentencing Enhancement In Gun Case
A Washington state federal court should not have applied a sentencing enhancement in the case of a man who handed a gun to someone who later used it to shoot an undercover federal agent, the Ninth Circuit said Monday, finding there wasn't proof his five-second hold on the weapon emboldened the shooter.
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July 15, 2025
Forgotten Jury Instruction Undoes Child Abuse Conviction
A Georgia Court of Appeals panel on Tuesday reversed a man's conviction for cruelty to children after it found that he received constitutionally ineffective counsel when his attorney forgot to request a key jury instruction.
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July 15, 2025
Michigan Court Eases Rules On Admitting Past Abuse Evidence
The Michigan Supreme Court on Monday ruled that evidence of a sexual assault victim's past abuse is generally barred from being presented during trial but modified the test used to determine when such information can be admitted to no longer require the previous abuse to have resulted in a conviction.
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July 15, 2025
High Court Term Yields Gains For Criminal Defendants
The U.S. Supreme Court addressed several contentious issues this term, with the conservative majority prevailing in numerous high-profile cases. Yet, in a notable trend, the court also issued multiple rulings favorable to criminal defendants, including expanding prisoners' rights in civil lawsuits and reinforcing due process protections in capital cases.
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July 15, 2025
Wisconsin Judge Says Actions Were Part Of Judicial Duties
The Wisconsin state judge accused of helping an immigrant living in the country illegally avoid arrest objected to a federal judge's recommendation not to have her indictment dismissed, arguing Tuesday that her actions were lawful and that accepting the recommendation would set a dangerous precedent.
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July 15, 2025
Feds Ask Supreme Court To Deny Ghislaine Maxwell's Appeal
Federal prosecutors urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to deny Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal of her 2022 sex trafficking conviction, arguing that a nonprosecution agreement struck in Florida with the late multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein didn't apply to her or bind New York prosecutors.
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July 15, 2025
Michigan Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025
Michigan's courts are gearing up for a busy second half of the year, with high-profile prosecutions of Chinese scientists accused of smuggling, the state's top court tackling arbitration and automotive contracts, and revisions to the professional conduct rules for lawyers and judges all on deck.
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July 15, 2025
Ex-Prosecutor With IP Roots Tapped To Lead NJ Watchdog
The New Jersey State Commission of Investigation has appointed Bruce P. Keller, a former Debevoise & Plimpton LLP intellectual property partner who went on to fight the appeal of two "Bridgegate" figures as a federal prosecutor, as its new executive director following months of leadership controversy.
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July 15, 2025
What To Know About Philly's New Look Into A Teacher's Death
An investigation into the mysterious death of a Philadelphia schoolteacher was recently reopened, a victory in her parents' hard-fought challenge to the city's designating the death a suicide, but experts predict an uphill battle to find and convict a killer if the probe determines the death was in fact a homicide.
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July 15, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Risk Of Harm Justifies Disarming Pot User
The Third Circuit has found that illegal drug users, including cannabis users, can be disarmed if their use is determined to increase the risk that they could pose a physical danger while possessing a gun, while finding that individual inquiry is necessary.
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July 14, 2025
Judge Probes Bid To Block Wash. Clergy Abuse Reporter Law
A Washington federal judge appeared receptive Monday to Catholic officials' argument that a new state law requiring priests to report suspected child abuse amounts to a free exercise violation, while also expressing uncertainty about how far the court can go in blocking the statute's enactment.
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July 14, 2025
Ill. Court Orders Resentencing Due To Trial Judge's Remarks
A split Illinois state appeals court has ruled that a Chicago man convicted of murder should be resentenced, saying comments made by a trial judge from the bench indicated the lower court inappropriately doubled up on aggravating factors when handing down its sentence.
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July 14, 2025
Split 2nd Circ. Denies Rehearing In Fox Threats Case
A split Second Circuit on Monday declined to grant an en banc rehearing to a man convicted of sending threatening messages to two Fox News hosts and two members of Congress, saying the 11-member jury that found him guilty did not violate his constitutional rights.
Expert Analysis
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Engaging With Feds On Threats To Executives, Employees
In an increasingly polarized environment, where companies face serious concerns about how to protect executives and employees, counsel should consider working with federal law enforcement soon after the discovery of threats or harassment, says Jordan Estes at Gibson Dunn.
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Perspectives
How High Court May Rule In First Step Act Resentencing Case
U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with verb tenses and statutory intent in recent oral arguments in Hewitt v. U.S., a case involving an anomalous resentencing issue under the First Step Act, and though they may hold that the statute is unambiguous, they could also decide the case on narrow, practical grounds, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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Opinion
Firing Of Jack Smith's Team Is A Threat To Rule Of Law
The acting attorney general’s justifications for firing prosecutors who worked on the criminal cases against President Donald Trump rest on a mischaracterization of legal norms, and this likely illegal move augurs poorly for the rule of law, say Bruce Green at Fordham University and Rebecca Roiphe at New York Law School.
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Takeaways From DOJ Fraud Section's 2024 Year In Review
Attorneys at Paul Weiss highlight notable developments in the U.S. Department of Justice Fraud Section’s recently released annual report, and discuss what the second Trump administration could mean for enforcement in the year to come.
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FCA Enforcement Would Make Trump's Tariffs More Effective
In implementing its trade policies, the Trump administration is likely to employ the False Claims Act, a powerful enforcement tool that would give tariffs and customs duties teeth, help raise promised revenue and prevent evaders from gaining a competitive advantage, says Sam Buffone at Buffone Law.
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End-Of-Year FCPA Enforcement Surge Holds Clues For 2025
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.
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Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025
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.
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Examining DOJ Corporate Whistleblower Pilot's First 100 Days
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.
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A Deep Dive Into DOJ's Proposed FARA Shake-Up
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.
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What To Expect In Higher Ed Enforcement Under Trump
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.
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Series
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q4
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.
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What FARA Enforcement In 2024 Reveals For The Year Ahead
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.
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Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation
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.
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How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term
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.
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Data Privacy Landscape After Mass. Justices' Wiretap Ruling
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.