Appeal Over Biased Texas Judge Won’t Go to Washington
The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up the case of a cop killer who, 15 years after his conviction, found evidence that the judge on his case is a bigot.
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Habeas
Supreme Court Won’t Take Up Limits on Prisoner Appeals
The Supreme Court decided Monday not to hear a challenge to limits on postconviction relief for prisoners, but Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the court should settle a circuit split the next time a similar case comes before it.
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Bronx Zoo Defeats Habeas Suit on Behalf of Happy the Elephant
Ruling reluctantly Wednesday against activists fighting to free an elephant held in solitary captivity at the Bronx Zoo, a New York judge said her hands are tied by her inability to recognize Happy the elephant’s rights to personhood.
Read moreInsufficient Assistance
The California Supreme Court granted a habeas petition for a potential retrial of a man convicted of murdering a police officer, finding that his counsel committed serious errors during his trial. The man’s death sentence has already been vacated because of counsel’s deficient assistance during the penalty phase.
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Madoff Seeks Prison Release, Citing Terminal Kidney Failure
Epic Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff asked a federal judge Wednesday to grant him a “compassionate release” from his 150-year prison sentence, saying he has terminal kidney failure and less than 18 months to live.
Read moreHabeas
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.
Read moreMurder
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.
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