SCOTUS Conviction Ruling Already Harming Innocent People, Lawyers Say
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, in some instances, incarcerated people can be barred from filing multiple claims of innocence, even if they did not commit the crime for which they’re in prison. Federal defense attorneys told The Appeal the ruling is already causing harm.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jul 20, 2023
Most Tenants Facing Eviction Don’t Have a Right to an Attorney. Lawmakers Want to Change That
Numerous city councils and state legislatures are debating giving renters a right to counsel, which can make the difference between stability and catastrophe.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Feb 18, 2021
New Orleans DA Candidate Allowed Race-Based Jury Selection
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Keva Landrum violated the Constitution when, as a judge, she permitted nearly a dozen Black people to be struck from serving on a jury in a high-profile murder case.
Jerry Iannelli Nov 24, 2020
Amy Coney Barrett’s Record on Criminal Justice Is ‘Deeply Troubling,’ Reform Advocates Say
In the midst of a national debate about changing the criminal legal system, Barrett is set to take a lifetime seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocates see her addition as a potential setback to creating a more fair system.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 22, 2020
Democrats Could Flip the Ohio and Michigan Supreme Courts
Shifting control of the states’ highest courts next month will prove critical on a number of major issues, including redistricting in 2021.
Joshua Vaughn Oct 15, 2020
Conservatives Are Winning The Supreme Court’s Most Important Fight: Suppressing The Vote
Enabling widespread voter suppression is shaping up to be the Roberts Court’s most consequential accomplishment, because every other aspect of the Republican agenda depends on it.
Jay Willis Jul 24, 2020
The Supreme Court’s War on Miranda Rights in America
For decades, the Court has been carving out generous exceptions and crafting new rules that limit the Miranda warning’s real-world impact.
Jay Willis Jun 23, 2020
The Supreme Court Buys Into Donald Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Fearmongering
Using language evoking pernicious stereotypes about immigration and crime, the Court’s conservative majority clears the way for the Trump administration to deport legal permanent residents for crimes committed long ago.
Jay Willis Apr 29, 2020
Tennessee Set to Execute Intellectually Disabled Black Man In Killing of White Woman Even Though Innocence Questions Persist
Attorneys say the prosecution’s theory of the murder case was ‘concocted out of whole cloth’ and based on ‘outdated racial stereotyping.’
Steven Hale Apr 29, 2020
Judges Are Exploiting the COVID-19 Pandemic to Advance the Conservative Agenda
A trio of cases in Wisconsin and Texas illustrates how Republican judges are feigning helplessness in the face of a public health crisis while furthering their own ends.
Jay Willis Apr 22, 2020
The Supreme Court Just Struck Down the Last State Law Allowing Split Jury Verdicts
Ramos v. Louisiana is a long-overdue affirmation of the constitutional rights of criminal defendants—and sets the stage for dramatic Supreme Court fights in the years ahead.
Jay Willis Apr 20, 2020
Professors Propose A ‘Defender General’ To Level The Playing Field
State court is where everyday criminal justice gets meted out. Generally speaking, if you’re arrested for robbery, or assault, you’re getting arrested by local police and prosecuted in a state court, under state law. What does it matter what happens in fancy federal courts across the country? And what could be less relevant to the […]
Sarah Lustbader Jan 30, 2020
Five Jurists Said Donnie Lance Deserved a New Sentence. Georgia Executed Him Anyway.
Three Supreme Court justices and others said competent counsel could have saved his life.
Kyle C. Barry Jan 30, 2020
The Appeal Podcast: A Lack of Basic Rights for Incarcerated Workers
With journalist Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard
Adam H. Johnson Oct 24, 2019
A Deadly Father-And-Son Bank Robbery Raises Questions About Culpability and The Adolescent Mind
Christopher Lay grew up under the influence of a father who was mentally ill. Drawn into a crime at age 19, he’s now seeking a second chance that could help other young adults demand the same.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 18, 2019
Court-Packing Is The Tip Of The Iceberg
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. At last night’s debate, the most sustained conversation about the courts was about the possibility of court-packing. Which is a fine thing to discuss, considering how effectively […]
Sarah Lustbader Oct 16, 2019
Missouri Executes Russell Bucklew Despite Threat of Botched Execution
His legal team had pushed for clemency, arguing that Bucklew’s previous attorneys mishandled his capital murder case.
Lauren Gill Oct 02, 2019
Missouri Is Set To Execute Russell Bucklew. His Lawyers Say His Case Was Mishandled.
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his execution, which experts have said will be bloody and gruesome, does not amount to cruel and unusual punishment. But problems with his case started long before that, his attorneys say.
Lauren Gill Sep 20, 2019
He Entered Prison As a ‘Whiskerless Kid.’ Will Oregon Ever Let Him Out?
Despite supporting Oregon’s new juvenile justice law, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is still fighting to keep people in prison who received life sentences as minors.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 03, 2019
Sentenced to Life Without Parole at 17 and Denied Freedom at 52
Richard Kinder thought he would die in an Alabama prison until the Supreme Court ruled mandatory juvenile life without parole unconstitutional. But last year, despite a judge concluding there was “uncontradicted evidence” that Kinder had worked to rehabilitate himself, the state parole board refused him release.
Lauren Gill Aug 07, 2019
Prison Systems Can Respect the Religious Rights of Muslims. State Government Should Ensure They Do.
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. For years, civil rights organizations have litigated cases on prison systems’ failures to respect the rights of Muslim plaintiffs to practice their faith. In a report published […]
Vaidya Gullapalli Jul 29, 2019
The Power of Peremptory Strikes
As public servants, prosecutors should be willing to put their cases before anyone in the communities they serve.
Vida B. Johnson Jul 18, 2019
Spotlight: The Citizenship Question, the Supreme Court, and Who Deserves a Do-Over
What if Justice Roberts gave criminal defendants do-overs like he did for the Trump administration?
Sarah Lustbader Jun 28, 2019
Spotlight: The Supreme Court on Curtis Flowers—Right for the Wrong Reasons
Last week, the Supreme Court surprised many liberals when it overturned the conviction of a Black man on death row, Curtis Flowers, for racial bias in jury selection.
Sarah Lustbader Jun 27, 2019
Pennsylvania Case Challenges ‘Death by Incarceration’ for 18-year-olds
Recent Supreme Court rulings have led to a review of life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed at age 17 and younger, but attorneys for Avis Lee say there’s no reason to stop there.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 12, 2018