Criminal Practice

  • October 28, 2025

    Trump Appeals 'Unprecedented' NY Criminal Conviction

    President Donald Trump appealed his New York criminal conviction for falsifying business records, arguing the charges were defective, the jury was improperly instructed, the judge was biased and that he was immune from prosecution.

  • October 27, 2025

    House Committee Wants NBA Commish Briefing On Gambling

    The House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Friday requesting a briefing on the indictments of players and coaches in a federal gambling investigation, seeking his appearance no later than the end of the week.  

  • October 27, 2025

    Former Pandemic Watchdog Named Interim US Atty In Pa.

    Amid the ongoing furlough of U.S. Department of Justice employees, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has announced the interim appointment of Brian D. Miller, former inspector general for pandemic recovery, as U.S. attorney, effective on Monday.

  • October 27, 2025

    Ex-Startup CFO's Crypto Wire Fraud Trial Begins In Seattle

    Federal prosecutors told a Seattle jury on Monday that the former chief financial officer of a Seattle-based startup committed wire fraud by funneling $35 million into his fintech venture that was wiped out during a subsequent cryptocurrency collapse, with defense counsel countering that "losing money with a bad investment is not a crime."

  • October 27, 2025

    9th Circ. OKs Gun Ban For Suspect Who Brought Gun To Court

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday revived the indictment of a man who brought a loaded handgun into an Idaho state court, finding that a no-contact order banning him from possessing a firearm does not violate his Second Amendment rights.

  • October 27, 2025

    Native Activist Urges 10th Circ. To Deny Gov't Rehearing Bid

    A Muscogee (Creek) Nation member is asking the Tenth Circuit to deny a full-panel rehearing bid by the federal government that looks to undo the appellate court's decision to overturn his simple assault conviction, arguing that prosecutors cannot get past exceptions to the Major Crimes Act.

  • October 27, 2025

    R. Kelly's Prison Leak Suit Tossed Again For Missed Deadlines

    R&B artist R. Kelly, 58, who is serving a 31-year sentence for sexually exploiting children and other crimes, saw his Illinois federal suit alleging prison officers leaked his private information to journalists and others dismissed due to his lawyers' "glaring" failure to meet deadlines.

  • October 27, 2025

    StraightPath Ex-Sales Agent Tells Jury He Lied To Customers

    A former StraightPath sales agent told a Manhattan federal jury Monday that he falsely assured would-be customers on the soundness of investing in pre-initial public offering shares, as three founders of the private equity firm faced charges of fraudulently raising roughly $400 million.

  • October 24, 2025

    Bettor Says Rigged AI Horse Betting Scheme Favors Wealthy

    A seasoned horse race bettor on Friday lodged a putative class action accusing major racetrack owners and related entities of using computer-assisted wagering platforms to rig betting pools in favor of a privileged "insider betting group," the same week a massive sports betting scandal rocked the National Basketball Association.

  • October 24, 2025

    NBA Betting Scandal A Wake-Up Call For Leagues, Industry

    The National Basketball Association, with its enormous earnings, popularity and influence nationally and internationally, is under the microscope after Thursday's indictments of current and former players in a big gambling scheme — but legal experts say no sport, league or gaming entity should feel safe or comfortable in the environment where the NBA scandal evolved.

  • October 24, 2025

    Man Wins New Rape Trial After Misguided Self-Representation

    A man convicted of raping a woman after offering her a ride home in 2018 has won the right to a new trial, arguing that he wasn't made aware of the pitfalls of representing himself and, specifically, the role of standby counsel, a Connecticut appeals court said in an opinion posted Friday.

  • October 24, 2025

    Man Who Threatened Fla. Judge In Trump Case Pleads Guilty

    An Illinois man pled guilty Friday to threatening to assault, kidnap and murder the Florida federal judge who oversaw the criminal classified documents case against President Donald Trump.

  • October 24, 2025

    Ill. High Court Rejects Innocence Bid In Vacated Case

    The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a man whose conviction was vacated under a separate precedential decision from the court is not entitled to a certificate of innocence because he could not prove his innocence on two other unprosecuted charges.

  • October 24, 2025

    Bronx DA Did Not Follow Law In Robbery Plea, Court Finds

    An appeals court in New York has vacated a plea agreement in a robbery case after finding that because a set of rules governing how indictments are waived was not followed, the plea agreement and subsequent sentence were not valid.

  • October 24, 2025

    Okla. Drug Enforcers Claim Immunity Against Hemp Seizure Suit

    Oklahoma drug enforcers urged a federal judge Friday to dismiss a $4 million lawsuit brought by hemp companies alleging state and local law enforcement wrongfully seized a shipment of federally lawful hemp bound from California to North Carolina.

  • October 24, 2025

    4 Years Of Litigation Over $41K? Welcome To Civil Forfeiture

    Lawyers for the Institute for Justice have spent years trying to get back $41,000 of their client's cash that law enforcement seized during a traffic stop in Texas. They say the case underscores the fundamental unfairness of civil forfeiture, and hope to challenge the process in the nation's highest courts.

  • October 24, 2025

    Fla. Judge Accused Of Trying To Influence Death Penalty Case

    A Florida appellate judge has been hit with ethics charges alleging she exchanged a series of text messages with a state attorney in an attempt to influence postconviction litigation in a death penalty case.

  • October 24, 2025

    DC Judge Nominee Pledges To Work To Eliminate Backlog

    A nominee for a local court in Washington, D.C., highlighted during his confirmation hearing Thursday how he would seek to alleviate the overburdened court system in the district. 

  • October 24, 2025

    NY High Court Says Filing Deadline Is Before Midnight

    A Brooklyn man who tried to escape misdemeanor charges by arguing that state prosecutors filed their "statement of readiness" three minutes past a 5 p.m. deadline was spurned by New York's highest court, which said the deadline under criminal law was actually before midnight, affirming an appellate decision.

  • October 24, 2025

    Chief Clerk Arrested For Theft Still Runs Schenectady Court

    The chief clerk of the top trial court in Schenectady, New York, was arrested for shoplifting in June, but has continued to manage the court as its highest-ranking employee while her misdemeanor charge remains pending.

  • October 24, 2025

    NY AG Pleads Not Guilty, Says Prosecutor's Appt. Is 'Unlawful'

    New York Attorney General Letitia James pled not guilty in Virginia federal court Friday to mortgage-related fraud charges that she says are part of President Donald Trump's revenge campaign against his perceived political foes, teeing up a fight over a White House-appointed prosecutor's legal authority.

  • October 23, 2025

    Alabama Carries Out 7th Nitrogen Gas Execution

    The state of Alabama executed a man through nitrogen gas suffocation Thursday evening after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, marking the state's seventh execution using the controversial method that an increasing number of states have adopted in recent years.

  • October 23, 2025

    Mugging Suspect Shouldn't Have Been Frisked, NY Court Says

    A man convicted of a mugging in New York City in 2019 who then led police on a high-speed car chase shouldn't have been frisked after cops discovered the victim's wallet in his pocket, a New York appeals court panel said Thursday, reversing his robbery convictions.

  • October 23, 2025

    Man Who Pled Guilty To Killing Parents Wins Chance At Retrial

    A New York appeals court ruled Thursday that a man who pled guilty to murdering his parents in 1996 can argue that ineffective counsel led him to that plea choice, having been advised that his life-without-parole sentence would be reduced if the death penalty were struck down in the state.

  • October 23, 2025

    Colo. Court Backs 96-Year Sentence For Repeat Offender

    The Colorado Appellate Court Thursday upheld a 96-year sentence for a man convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault, applying for the first time the state's recent high court decision that allows more severe penalties for repeat offenders provided a jury, not a judge, examines the defendant's criminal history.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Identifying The Sources And Impacts Of Juror Contamination

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    Jury contamination can be pervasive, so it is important that trial teams be able to spot its sources and take specific mitigation steps, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Key NY State Grand Jury Rules Can Shape Defense Strategy

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    As illustrated by recent cases, New York state's grand jury rules are more favorable than their federal counterparts, offering a genuine opportunity in some cases for a white collar criminal defendant to defeat or meaningfully reduce charges that a prosecutor seeks to bring, says Ethan Greenberg at Anderson Kill.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • 4 Strategies To Ensure Courts Calculate Restitution Correctly

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    Recent reversals of restitution orders across the federal appeals courts indicate that some lower courts are misapplying fundamental restitution principles, so defense attorneys should consider a few ways to vigilantly press these issues with the sentencing judge, says Wesley Gorman at Comber Miller.

  • In NY, Long COVID (Tolling) Still Applies

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    A series of pandemic-era executive orders in New York tolling state statutes of limitations for 228 days mean that many causes of action that appear time-barred on their face may continue to apply, including in federal practice, for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Reel Justice: 'One Battle After Another' And The Limits Of Zeal

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    The political thriller “One Battle After Another,” following a former revolutionary who became a recluse, offers a potent metaphor for attorneys on diligence and the ethical boundaries of zealous advocacy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

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    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • What Justices' Bowe Ruling Could Mean For Federal Prisoners

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    Bowe v. U.S. — set for oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 14 — presents the high court with two consequential questions about the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act's successive-petition regime that will be immediately relevant to federal postconviction practice, says attorney Elizabeth Franklin-Best.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

  • Justices May Decide Whether Restitution Is A Punishment

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    Forthcoming oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in Ellingburg v. U.S. will focus on whether criminal restitution qualifies as criminal punishment under the U.S. Constitution — a key question as restitution has expanded in reach and severity, while providing little meaningful compensation for victims, says Lula Hagos at George Washington University Law School.

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