An Ohio man on death row is arguing that because of his weight, he would face a “torturous and lingering death” during execution. 480-pound Ronald Post, scheduled to die on January 16, argues that because of his obesity, difficult vein access, depression, and scar tissue, his life should be spared. Post is on death row […]
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Cell Phone Tracing Method Not Admissable in Court
Judge Joan H. Lefkow of the United States District Court in the Northern District of Illinois – Eastern Division has ruled in United States v. Antonio Evans that a prosecution expert witness cannot testify about “granulization,” a method used to track someone via his or her cell phone location. The Honorable Joan Lefkow ruled that […]
New Jersey Leads the Way With Eyewitness Identification Rules
In August of 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court created significant safeguards to protect defendants in criminal trials from wrongful convictions resulting from erroneous eyewitness identification. Pennsylvania may well follow suit, though at a much slower pace. Several studies have shown that an eyewitness’s memory can be dramatically influenced by myriad factors, causing eyewitness error […]
Facebook Profile Not Protected by Fourth Amendment
A federal case in the Southern District of New York, US v. Meregildo et al. (2012), should serve as a warning that what is put on Facebook is not necessarily private. Melvin Colon, a defendant in this case, had his profile accessed by the Government through one of his Facebook ‘friends’. Colon filed a Motion […]
Juvenile Convictions in “Cash for Kids” Scandal are Vacated
In the wake of the “Cash for Kids” scandal involving corrupt Luzerne County judges who violated the rights of juveniles, all convictions in cases heard by Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan between 2003 and 2003 have been vacated. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that these convictions be vacated and barred retrial in all but […]
