Access to Justice

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2023

Minnesota Joins Prosecutor-Led Resentencing Law Movement

By Marco Poggio

Joining a growing number of states beginning with California in 2018, a newly adopted law in Minnesota is set to give prosecutors a chance to ask courts to resentence convicted criminals who have shown rehabilitation during their time in prison.

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New Maine Law Protects Atty-Client Privilege In Jail Calls

By Marco Poggio

The Maine Legislature approved a bill this week that seeks to protect attorney-client privilege for incarcerated people using jail phones. The legislation came in response to outrage over recent revelations that authorities had eavesdropped on confidential calls at several jails in the state.

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Pro Bono Spotlight

How Simpson Thacher Beat Kansas Vote-By-Mail Restrictions

By Marco Poggio

When Kansas lawmakers enacted legislation that made it a crime for out-of-state groups to send mail-in ballot applications to voters, attorneys with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP sprang into action and recently notched a major First Amendment victory in challenging the law.

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Analysis

Young Thug Trial Illustrates System's Strain On Jurors

By Rosie Manins

Prospective juror No. 1,616 sits in the witness box of the downtown Atlanta courtroom and tells the judge he has three children, ages 2, 4 and 6, making it especially difficult for him to serve in what is expected to be Georgia's longest trial.

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Atty Bias Eyed As New Path For Mass. Conviction Challenges

By Rachel Rippetoe

A recent Massachusetts high court decision to toss a Black Muslim man's conviction based on his defense attorney's racist and xenophobic online posts is being hailed as a win for racial justice, and advocates say it could lead to other cases being challenged on grounds of bias by appointed counsel.

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More Cases Involving Convicted Ex-Cops Axed In Manhattan

By Andrea Keckley

While the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced this month that it would throw out over 300 mostly misdemeanor convictions tied to discredited New York City cops, information gathered by local advocates suggests prosecutors have a long road ahead of them in accounting for damage done by police officers they no longer trust.

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Arizona Releases Man Who Spent 29 Years On Death Row

By Marco Poggio

An Arizona man who spent 29 years on death row for the murder of a little girl he said he didn't commit was freed on Thursday after the state admitted that he was never given a fair trial.

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5th Circ. Axes Challenge To Louisiana Bail System

By Aaron West

The Fifth Circuit has sent a Louisiana lawsuit that challenged bail practices in the state back to district court for dismissal, ruling that because relevant challenges were still possible on the state level, the lower federal court had moved too fast when it denied relief.

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Perspectives

A New HOPE For Expunging State-Level Cannabis Convictions

As states across the U.S. legalize cannabis, individuals with related convictions face hurdles to expunging their records due to outdated record-keeping systems — but the recently introduced HOPE Act would remedy this by providing grant funding to state and local governments, says Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio.

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Perspectives

Immigration Board Must Mend Choice Of Law Post-Garcia

The Board of Immigration Appeals must revisit the choice of law standard recently established in Matter of Garcia, which fails to establish predictability, upsets the settled expectations of parties' remanded cases and unfairly tips the scale in the government's favor, says Monica Mananzan at the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition.

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Perspectives

Jail-Based Polling Places Are Key To Expanding Ballot Access

As the 2024 elections begin to take shape, jurisdictions should consider jail-based polling locations to ease voting obstacles faced by incarcerated people, say former advocacy director Naila Awan and communications strategist Wanda Bertram at Prison Policy Initiative.

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