The Intermediate Court of Appeals of the State of Hawai‘i has affirmed the judgment against Kenneth Edward Texeira, effectively dismissing his appeal which raised fifteen separate points of error concerning pre-trial rulings and procedural issues related to his traffic violation case. The court’s decision hinged on a fundamental rule of…
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Supreme Court Clarifies Hearing Requirements for New Trial Motions
The Ohio Supreme Court has weighed in on a crucial procedural question for criminal defendants: when a motion for a new trial is based on newly discovered evidence, must the trial judge hold a formal, in-person hearing? The answer, according to the majority opinion, is no—but an evidentiary review is…
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Donald Trump Wins Appellate Court Stay Blocking Order to Withdraw National Guard From D.C.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has granted an emergency stay pending appeal, effectively pausing the district court’s order that sought to immediately withdraw National Guard troops deployed in the District of Columbia. The appellate court signaled that the federal defendants—including President Trump and the Department of…
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Eleventh Circuit Affirms Convictions Swiftly, Citing Binding Precedent
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has summarily affirmed the convictions and sentence of Romuel Angrand, ruling that his main legal challenges were already settled by existing circuit precedent. The court granted the government’s motion for summary affirmance, concluding that Angrand’s arguments were clearly wrong as…
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Timely Appeal Missed: Court Upholds Denial of Decades-Old Sentencing Challenge
The Ohio Sixth Appellate District Court has affirmed the dismissal of a motion filed by Todd Plassman, who sought to overturn sentences imposed over three decades ago, ruling that his filing was an untimely post-conviction petition that failed to meet strict statutory exceptions. The ruling centers on procedural deadlines, effectively…
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Fifth Circuit Says Chinese National Lacks Standing to Challenge Texas Property Ban
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a Chinese national challenging Texas Senate Bill 17 (SB 17), a law restricting property acquisition by individuals domiciled in certain foreign countries, including China. The court ruled that the plaintiff, Peng Wang,…
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Arkansas Supreme Court Clears Way for Legislative Edits to Medical Marijuana Law
The Arkansas Supreme Court has delivered a landmark ruling concerning the power of the state’s General Assembly to amend voter-approved constitutional changes, specifically those related to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 (Amendment 98). In a decision that overturns decades-old precedent, the Court found that the legislature *does* possess…
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Judicial Overreach Doesn’t Void Drug Defendant’s Plea, Third Circuit Rules
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has affirmed a lower court’s decision to accept Jerome Brown’s guilty plea, despite acknowledging that the District Judge improperly involved himself in the plea bargaining process. While the court found a clear violation of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, it…
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Washington Supreme Court Denies Reimbursement for Community Service Used to Pay Invalidated Fines
The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that individuals whose drug possession convictions were overturned following the landmark *State v. Blake* decision are not entitled to state reimbursement for the value of community service hours used to satisfy their court-imposed financial obligations (LFOs). The denial of reimbursement for this labor, unlike…
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Supreme Court Rules Resentencing Judge Had Power Over All Convictions
The North Carolina Supreme Court has reversed a lower court’s decision, ruling that a trial judge had the authority during resentencing to decide whether ancillary robbery and conspiracy sentences should run consecutively or concurrently with the new murder sentences. The ruling reinstates the 2023 judgments, which had set the defendant’s…