The Alaska Court of Appeals held that first-degree voter misconduct based on a false sworn statement requires proof that the defendant deliberately acted with a consciousness of wrongdoing, and it reversed the denial of Tupe Smith’s motion to dismiss her indictment.
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a consent search but held that five of seven convictions impermissibly punished the same criminal transaction, requiring resentencing on the two surviving counts.
The Indiana Court of Appeals held that injuries from an employee’s fainting-related highway crash arose out of employment because work placed him behind the wheel, and ordered a statutory 5% increase in benefits.
The Third Department held that a without-prejudice dismissal at the first stage of a Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act resentencing request is not appealable.
The First Department vacated a $301.25 million Manhattan land valuation because the neutral umpire’s outside-employment discussions and later procedural rulings created prejudicial partiality.
The First Department reinstated a hedge-fund jury verdict, holding that overlapping facts and a theoretical risk of inconsistent findings did not justify retrying five rejected counterclaims.
The First Department exercised interest-of-justice discretion to send a 17-year-old’s weapon case to Family Court because prosecutors had not shown extraordinary circumstances overcoming Raise the Age’s removal presumption.
The Wyoming Supreme Court held that jail time already credited to a probation-revocation sentence did not have to be credited again in two separate felony cases.
In a published opinion, the Commonwealth Court reversed dismissal of UC appeals where incarceration prevented timely receipt of agency determinations.
The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed negligent homicide, holding that speculative fear of a pursuing driver did not require acceptance of a compulsion defense.
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed molesting, incest, and attempted-obstruction convictions while construing the post-2022 obstruction statute and applying Wadle.
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a Level 1 felony burglary conviction, finding no implied juror bias and sufficient evidence of armed entry, felonious intent, and injury.
The Massachusetts Appeals Court vacated an involuntary-manslaughter conviction because substitute DNA analysts conveyed testimonial findings from an absent analyst and the error was not harmless.
The Court of Appeals found no error. The trial evidence supported an inference that Spencer knew the store and employee schedules, positioned himself for a private attack, and waited for the victims to leave. Evidence that he changed clothes, misled his girlfriend, and disposed of the weapon supported flight even though he later appeared near officers. The evidence also did not require a second-degree murder instruction.
The Court of Appeals found no error. Counsel did not concede guilt to the Pender County charges; the argument attempted to connect incriminating statements to different allegations and focus the jury on the State’s burden. The on-record discussion showed Benson knowingly accepted that strategy. The court also held that the substantial evidence of guilt defeated any showing of Strickland prejudice.
The Indiana Court of Appeals held that any error from officers’ recorded comments on McLain’s truthfulness was harmless and affirmed her dealing conviction and advisory sentence.
The Supreme Court of Guam affirmed a three-year sentence after probation revocation, holding that detailed revocation findings supported an individualized sentencing decision.
The Supreme Court of Guam held that first-time methamphetamine sentences must require actual enrollment and attendance in rehabilitation, vacating a conditional treatment recommendation.
The Wyoming Supreme Court held that Brown waived a new dog-sniff suppression theory and upheld the admission of coded drug-related messages under Rule 404(b).
In a precedential ruling, the Superior Court held that an objection to an unreasonably delayed probation-revocation petition does not implicate sentence legality and can be waived.
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a new trial for Jason Hubbell, holding that suppressed evidence pointing to another suspect undermined confidence in his murder conviction.
The Massachusetts SJC held that corruption in an overlapping police investigation did not justify plea withdrawal without a concrete nexus to the defendant’s own case.
The Court of Appeals vacated a default judgment and held Indiana lacked personal jurisdiction over three Pennsylvania defendants whose alleged conduct was not purposefully directed to Indiana.
The Court of Appeals held an Illinois burglary conviction was broader than Indiana dwelling burglary and could not support Kelly’s serious-violent-felon firearm conviction.