Access to Justice

SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2023

After 29 Years, 'The Poster Child For Clemency' Comes Home

By Rachel Rippetoe

In December, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul granted clemency to 12 convicts. Last month, several of them finally made it home, including Bruce Bryant, whom advocates call "the poster child for clemency" and who spent nearly 30 years in prison for a murder he's always maintained he didn't commit.

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Old Pot Felonies Hard To Erase Despite NY's New Law

By Jack Karp

Confusion about New York's law legalizing marijuana — and a possible typo — means some judges are denying requests to clear old felony pot convictions. Defense attorneys, meanwhile, claim what they're really doing is denying the legislature's intent.

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All Access

New Legal Aid DC Leader Faces Growing Needs, Budget Cuts

By Alison Knezevich

Vikram Swaruup is settling into his new role as executive director of Legal Aid of the District of Columbia at a time when the organization's clients have been hit hard by inflation, the end of enhanced safety-net benefits and the halting of pandemic-related protections against evictions, foreclosures and debt collection.

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14-Year Restraining Order Battle Shows Court Reporter Need

By Tracey Read

When a faulty audio recording left a New Jersey judge unable to rule on a bid to dissolve a decade-old restraining order, the couple embroiled in the dispute was forced to relive their trauma as part of a court-ordered bid to recreate the record in their 2004 restraining order hearing. Experts say the case highlights the important role of court stenographers amid a growing national shortage.

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Justice At Guantanamo: Atty Attends Bali Bombing Hearings

By Aebra Coe

Pretrial motions are moving forward for three detainees who have been held at Guantanamo Bay for two decades on charges related to a deadly terrorist bombing in Bali in 2002. Here, trial lawyer George Donnini shares his experience traveling to Cuba to be a witness to the proceedings on behalf of the American Bar Association.

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Justices Halt Execution Of Okla. Man After AG Admits Errors

By Marco Poggio

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday halted the looming execution of an Oklahoma man after the state's attorney general conceded his murder conviction was riddled with constitutional errors and possible prosecutorial misconduct.

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3½-Hour Ala. Execution Was Needlessly Cruel, Suit Says

By Marco Poggio

The family of an Alabama man killed in what is believed to be the longest recorded execution in U.S. history has accused the state of subjecting him to unnecessary cruelty in violation of his constitutional rights, according to a suit filed Wednesday.

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Judge Pauses Miss. GOP's Foray Into Capital City Courts

By Daniel Connolly

A state judge in Mississippi has ordered a temporary halt to a controversial new law that would give the majority-white state government greater control over the court system in the majority-Black capital city, Jackson.

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Perspectives

New Ideas For Using Litigation Finance To Close Justice Gap

Bob Koneck at Woodsford outlines new ways in which the growing litigation finance industry could work with foundations, law firms and schools to address the urgent access to justice crisis.

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