Sentencing App Update
It has been a little over a year since we announced the availability of the School of Government’s mobile app for Structured Sentencing. The app has been downloaded over one […]
Computer Technicians’ Duty to Report Child Pornography
Last week, I blogged about the application of the private search doctrine in child pornography cases. I noted that one recent case began when a computer repair technician contacted police […]
News Roundup
Is the death penalty dying? It’s a fair question given that the Republican-controlled Nebraska legislature just abolished the punishment over the governor’s veto (the New York Times has the story […]
The Private Search Doctrine in Child Pornography Cases
Many child pornography cases begin when someone with access to the defendant’s computer looks through it, finds child pornography, and contacts law enforcement. For example, the recent Raleigh case in […]
State v. Leak: Defendant Unlawfully Seized During License Check
The United States Supreme Court held in Rodriguez v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, 135 S. Ct. 1609 (2015) (discussed here), that a law enforcement officer may not extend a […]
Post-Release Supervisees Who Commit New Crimes
Post-release supervision used to be relatively rare. Before 2011, only Class B1–E felons received PRS, and they accounted for only about 15 percent of all felons. Now that Class F–I […]
404(b) Evidence: How Much Is Too Much?
The state supreme court recently reversed a death sentence and a first-degree murder conviction because the State presented “an excessive amount” of otherwise admissible Rule 404(b) evidence. How much is […]
News Roundup
It was a big news week, but I’ll start with the General Assembly. First off, it passed a law, S.L. 2015-31, that requires motor vehicles to have at least one […]
Counting Jail Credit Days
If a defendant is arrested on Monday, detained all week, and sentenced on Friday, how many days of jail credit does he get?
How Many Shades of Registration Violations?
Gray is in. And DMV knows it.