The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/courts/supreme-court/)
In his annual report, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts said a “strong and independent judiciary” is critical to fostering public confidence in the justice system, and called on judges to turn their courthouses into “forums for civic education.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said the Constitution does not allow prosecuting people for sleeping outdoors if there is no shelter available. The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the ruling striking down laws in Boise, ID.
The Supreme Court opened its term by hearing cases asking whether the Constitution permits states to abolish the insanity defense or convict defendants absent a unanimous jury.
The Supreme Court’s new term begins next week with a fascinating criminal law case, Kahler v. Kansas, that asks a simple question: Can a state eliminate the insanity defense? The result may prove quite important for criminal law, writes USC law Prof. Orin Kerr.
Several Democratic presidential candidates called for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s impeachment following publication of excerpts from a new book that adds to the allegations of sexual misconduct in college and questions his truthfulness during his 2018 confirmation battle.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is considered a reliable conservative, but in an interview with USA Today promoting his new book, he highlighted cases in which he has joined liberal justices in defense of the “little guy” being surveilled or convicted of a crime.
Calvin Duncan a 23-year “jailhouse lawyer’ at the Lousiana State Penitentiary in Angola, worked for years on an issue the justices Can someone be convicted by a non-unanimous jury?
Initially a moderate Republican, Stevens became known as a liberal on the bench. He favored gun control and most regretted a vote to revive the death penalty, which he later opposed.
A string of lower courts have said that President Trump’s decision to terminate the Obama-era program was based on faulty legal reasoning and that the administration has failed to provide a solid rationale for ending it.
The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether implied consent is consistent with the Fourth Amendment’s ban against unreasonable searches.