One of the top stories this week was the announcement by the Department of Justice that they intend to recommend a one-day, time-served sentence for former Louisville, Kentucky police officer, Brett Hankison. Hankinson was tried and convicted in federal court for using excessive force in violation of Breonna Taylor’s civil rights. Taylor was killed by police officers after they executed a no-knock search warrant around midnight on March 13, 2020. Taylor’s romantic partner mistook the officers for intruders and fired a shot, wounding one of the officers. Officers then collectively fired 22 shots, resulting in Taylor’s death. Although no shots fired by Hankinson hit Taylor, he fired ten times through a glass door and a window, and three of the shots entered an adjacent apartment occupied by another family. Hankinson’s conviction carries a maximum sentence of life, and his presentence report recommends a sentence of between 11- and 14-years imprisonment. The Justice Department contends that the felony conviction, lost firearms rights, and lost ability to work as a law enforcement officer is punishment enough, given that Hankinson did not injure anyone and was returning fire. Read on for more criminal law news.
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News Roundup
Floods have gripped the nation. From Texas, to New Mexico, to here in central North Carolina, severe floods have taken lives and devastated communities. In Texas, floods have killed over 120 people statewide, with over 160 still missing. Due to substantial damage, recovery efforts have slowed, signaling a long road ahead for those with missing loved ones. In New Mexico, flash flooding on Tuesday killed three people and severely damaged the mountain community of Ruidoso—which just spent a year recovering from devastating wildfires and flooding in 2024. Locally, tropical storm Chantal brought heavy flooding across five counties on Sunday evening, taking six lives. Thunderstorms and flooding have continued through the week, striking Durham on Wednesday and multiple counties last night. For those affected, click here for shelter options, water notices, and other flood relief resources. Local businesses and charities are also leading the way in collecting and distributing donations. Read on for the latest in criminal law news.
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The Trump administration sued the state of New York on Thursday over a law that blocks immigration officials from arresting people at New York courthouses, saying it purposely shields dangerous criminals. New York’s 2020 Protect Our Courts Act bans federal immigration officials from arresting people who are coming and going from courthouses or in court for proceedings unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. Democratic state Senator Brad Hoylman, the bill’s sponsor, said at the time the legislation was a rebuke to the first Trump administration’s practice of turning New York courts into “hunting grounds” for federal agents.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit said arrests in or near courthouses are safer for officers and the public because individuals are screened for weapons and contraband before entering the buildings. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions targeting state or local policies the administration says interfere with immigration enforcement.
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Multiple acts of mass violence plagued the country this week. In Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, a man attacked a group of people demonstrating on behalf of Israeli hostages held by Hamas with a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails, resulting in injuries to fifteen people. The suspect has been charged with federal hate crimes, attempted murder, and more, along with state offenses, according to this report. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a woman was killed and six people were injured following a shooting on Sunday evening in Boom Island Park. Officers described the scene there as “akin to a war zone.” At least two shooters are suspected of the attack and remain at large. Closer to home, a man was arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with a Sunday mass shooting at a house party near Hickory, North Carolina. More suspects are being sought. The incident, which involved at least 80 shots being fired, led to the death of one man and injuries to eleven others. In downtown Asheville, NC, a gunfight between two men on Sunday resulted in the death of one of the shooters and several injured people, according to this Citizen Times report. Read on for more criminal law news.
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The top story this week is that Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton has been charged with DUI, per this story from the UPI and AP. Retton, 57, became the first American woman to win the all-around gymnastics title at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she also won two silver and two bronze medals. Retton was stopped on May 17, 2025, in her hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia, allegedly with a container of wine in the passenger seat of her Porsche, and charged with driving under the influence, before being released on a personal recognizance bond. Read on for more criminal law news.
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On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced it is planning to drop investigations into nearly two dozen police departments accused of civil rights violations. These include departments in Memphis, TN, Pheonix, AZ, Oklahoma City, OK, Trenton, NJ, Mount Vernon, NY, and the Louisiana State Police. The Department also announced it will drop consent decrees setting requirements for police training and establishing outside monitoring reached after incidents of police violence in Minneapolis, MN and Louisville, KY. The head of the Department’s civil rights division, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said the Department is reviewing consent decrees and federal oversight arrangements in place with nearly a dozen other cities to determine if they should be abandoned as well. This is following an executive order signed last month directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to review all federal consent decrees and to “modify, rescind, or move to conclude” them within 60 days. Read on for more criminal law news.
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The Alabama Governor signed legislation on Tuesday, establishing a new shark alert system that warns beachgoers when a shark has bitten someone in the vicinity. The system will issue a public notice to cellphones along the Alabama coast when there’s been a shark attack nearby. The law, named the “Lulu Gribbin Shark Alert System Act,” was inspired by a teenager who was one of three people bitten by a shark during a string of attacks last year. She lost her left hand and a portion of her right leg in the attack.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will create rules for the new alert system. Read on for more news.
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The top story this week is that country music star Jelly Roll has been recommended for a pardon by a Tennessee parole board. NBC has the story, as well as ABC and the AP. The singer, whose legal name is Jason B. Deford, 40, was convicted in 2008 of robbery and drug possession. He was released in 2016 and struggled to succeed as a musician before earning four Grammy Award nominations in February. Davidson County, TN, Sheriff Daron Hall asked Governor Bill Lee to pardon Jelly Roll last year, and the parole board’s vote on Tuesday was part of that mission. The matter is now pending before the governor. Read on for more criminal law news.
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A woman was babysitting a child near Great Bend, Kansas, when the child she was watching complained of a monster under the bed. Seeking to assuage the child’s fear, the babysitter checked under the bed only to find a man hiding there. After a tussle with the babysitter, the man left the home and evaded capture until the next day, when local deputies located and arrested him. The man had recently posted bond on charges of threat crimes, domestic violence, and violating a protective order. He is now being held on no bond and is facing burglary, aggravated assault, and child endangerment charges. The AP has the story, here. Read on for more criminal law news.
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On Wednesday, the Michigan Supreme Court held in a 5-1 opinion that the odor of marijuana alone isn’t a sufficient reason for police to conduct a warrantless search of a car. In 2018, the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana by people who are at least 21 years old became legal. However, the law specifies that marijuana cannot be used while operating a vehicle.
In the opinion, Justice Megan Cavanagh notes that “the smell of marijuana might just as likely indicate that the person is in possession of a legal amount of marijuana, recently used marijuana legally, or was simply in the presence of someone else who used marijuana” and that the smell “no longer constitutes probable cause sufficient to support a search for contraband.”