Habeas
A federal class action claims the District of Columbia Court Clerk Michael Hughes illegally refuses to release people who have been ordered released by a superior court judge if he suspects them of violating civil immigration laws.
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Murder
In a habeas complaint against the sheriff of Palm Beach County, a man claims the first-degree murder charge against him is “excessive and unwarranted” because when he shot his wife and killed a man in his car, which he had reported missing, he was merely defending his property.
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Sotomayor Skewers Louisiana Policy for Appeals Scandal
Eliciting a statement of concern from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a case stemming from a suicide note that described a secret court policy in Louisiana targeting the poor.
Read moreOrangutan Granted Human Status Settles Into New Florida Home
A 33-year-old orangutan granted legal personhood by a judge in Argentina is settling into her new surroundings at the Center for Great Apes in central Florida.
Read morePolitically Ruined Orie Sisters 0 for 2 at Third Circuit
The sister of a former Pennsylvania state senator and a state Supreme Court justice who were all convicted on corruption charges is not entitled to habeas relief, the Third Circuit ruled Wednesday.
Read moreVan Houten Parole
California’s Second Appellate District denied the habeas petition of convicted Manson Family murderer Leslie Van Houten on Friday, finding then-Gov. Jerry Brown’s decision to reverse a 2017 grant of parole because Van Houten hasn’t taken enough responsibility for her crimes is supported by evidence in the record.
Read moreDNA Evidence Leads to Vacated Sentence for Man After 3 Decades in Prison
A California appeals court vacated the conviction Friday of a man who has spent the last three decades in prison, finding DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime and tested almost a decade ago does not belong to him.
Read moreElephants
A Connecticut appeals court affirmed dismissal of a habeas petition from the Nonhuman Rights Project on behalf of three elephants confined in a zoo, as “the court reasonably found that elephants are not persons and lack standing to file a habeas petition.”
Read more9/11 Habeas
A D.C. Circuit panel stayed habeas corpus proceedings Monday for a man suspected in playing a role in the 9/11 terror attacks, until his long-delayed military commission trial at Guantanamo Bay has been completed.
Read moreHigh Court to Clarify Appeals Process in Criminal Cases
Taking up the case of a Texas man sentenced to 30 years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon, the Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether his motion for a new trial should be considered a second habeas petition, which would not extend the timeframe to file a notice of appeal.
Read moreKey DC Circuit Reversal Backs Rights of Alien Detainees
Shredding a decision that said Guantanamo detainees are not entitled to due process, the D.C. Circuit delivered a pivotal reversal Friday to a Yemeni man who has been held without charges for over 17 years.
Read moreCourt Frees Swedish Friend of Assange Detained in Ecuador
A court in Ecuador freed a Swedish programmer close to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday after more than two months in jail on suspicion of hacking.
Read morePolitically Ruined Orie Sisters Take Fight to Third Circuit
Three politically active sisters, one a former Pennsylvania senator and another a former state Supreme Court justice, challenged their corruption convictions Wednesday at the Third Circuit.
Read moreFight to Free Zoo’s Elephants Stumbles in Connecticut Court
An activist group fighting to free three elephants from a Connecticut petting zoo urged an appeals court Monday to revive their case.
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