The Twentieth Anniversary of the Crime Victims' Rights Act
Twenty years ago to the day, the CVRA took effect ... changing the legal culture in federal criminal cases.
crime victims
When Prosecutors "Take a Dive" — The Purported "Error" in the Glossip Case
My op-ed in The Hill discusses the problem of prosecutors confessing "error" where none exists.
Should the Boeing Plea Deal on the 737 MAX Crashes Be Approved?
I have argued to Judge Reed O'Connor that he should reject the proposed "binding" plea deal because it obscures the relevant facts and fails to hold Boeing accountable for killing 346 people. A decision is expected soon.
It Is Illiberal To Charge Teens With Felonies for Vandalizing a Pride Crosswalk
You don't promote acceptance by locking people up for victimless crimes.
Preliminary FBI Data: Crime Steeply Declined in Early 2024
While the data is far from perfect, if the overall trend holds, violent crime could be back to pre-COVID levels by the end of the year.
Daniel Perry's Pardon Makes a Mockery of Self-Defense
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott takes a tactic from the progressive prosecutors he says he opposes.
He Was Sentenced to a Decade in Prison for Having Unlicensed Weapons
Dexter Taylor is now a "violent felon," even though his hobby was victimless.
Murder Rates Are Plummeting. What Should We Make of It?
In data from over 200 cities, homicides are down a little over 19 percent when compared to a similar time frame in 2023.
The Court Was Right To Overturn Harvey Weinstein's Rape Conviction
The ruling has nothing to do with #MeToo. It is about ensuring a fair trial—a principle that applies no matter how unsympathetic the defendant.
Louisiana Legislature Advances Bills To Roll Back Criminal Justice Reforms
Criminal justice advocates say the evidence doesn't back up Republicans' claims that Louisiana's landmark 2017 reforms are to blame for violent crime.
Don't Let Crime Fears Undermine Americans' Rights
Amid fear of rising crime, let's take a careful and deliberate approach—lest innocent people lose their rights and property.
Florida Bills Would Hide the Names of Police Officers Who Kill People
The bills would classify police and correctional officers who kill people on the job as crime victims.
Do Victim Impact Statements Help Promote Justice?
My new co-authored article reviews 168 victim impact statements from the Larry Nassar sentencing hearing and concludes that these statements show a victim voice at sentencing can improve justice.
Remy: Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor Swift Looting Parody)
Stop enabling thieves by owning stuff.
What is the Significance of an Attorney General's Confession of Error in a State Capital Case?
In my Supreme Court amicus brief for the victim's family in Oklahoma v. Richard Glossip, I argue that the Oklahoma Attorney General's unfounded confession of "error" should not dictate the case's outcome.
Alabama Schedules First Execution After Monthslong Moratorium and 'Sham' Investigation
After an array of botched and unsuccessful executions, the state's Department of Corrections says its ready to start executing inmates again.
A New Amicus Brief Arguing Against a Local D.A. Circumventing California's Three Strikes Law
Meg Garvin, John Yoo, and I argue to the California Supreme Court that L.A. District Attorney George Gascon is not free to ignore the commands of California's Three Strikes Law.
Intervening to Stop "True Threats" from Delusional Stalkers and Devious Stalkers
Today's oral argument in Counterman v. Colorado--the "true threats" case--highlights the importance of protecting stalking victims from objectively threatening communications.
Adnan Syed's Conviction Reinstated to Protect Crime Victims' Rights
The Appellate Court of Maryland rules that the rights of the victim's family must be respected in any process that could vacate Mr. Syed's conviction—an important precedent that crime victims' rights are enforceable.
Biden Embraces the Fearmongering, Vows To Squash D.C.'s Mild Criminal Justice Reforms
In rebuking the legislation, the president showed that he may not know what's in it.
Victims' Families File Petition in the Fifth Circuit Seeking to Enforce Rights in the Boeing Case
The families argue that they should have been given an opportunity to confer with prosecutors under the Crime Victims' Rights Act before Boeing's deferred prosecution agreement was finalized.
Judge O'Connor Rules that the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes Victims' Families Cannot Enforce Their Right to Confer with Prosecutors
While expressing great sympathy for the victims' families, Judge O'Connor concludes that no remedy is available for the Justice Department's failure to enforce the families' right to confer under the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
My Article on Defining the Term "Victim" in Crime Victims' Rights Enactments
The article explains how the federal Crime Victims' Rights Act and other crime victim protections contain a broad definition of the term "victim."
In Alabama, New Rules Make Botched Executions More Likely
"Under the new rule, the State would have been able to prolong the botched execution process indefinitely," the Equal Justice Initiative wrote in a press release.
Crime Victims' Rights Now Integrated Throughout the Arizona Rules
The Arizona Supreme Court becomes the first state Supreme Court to thoroughly incorporate crime victims' rights in its rules of criminal procedure. Others should follow.
Alabama's Governor Calls for a Moratorium on Executions in the State
While the pause comes as a relief to those opposed to the death penalty, Ivey's full-throated defense of the practice makes it clear that she seeks only a temporary pause in executions, not an end to the policy.
Is Crime Getting Better or Worse? We Don't Really Know.
The FBI changed the way it compiles data, and reporting law-enforcement agencies have yet to catch up.
Did Murders Rise in 2021? No One Knows.
Plus: Court says DACA is illegal, Colorado baker appeals gender transition cake ruling, and more...
Hiring Formerly Incarcerated People Is Good, Actually
Some conservative media outlets and politicians lambast the practice. But if you care about public safety, that opposition doesn't make sense.
'I Have My Own Life': The Case for Legalizing Sex Work
It would be far easier to prosecute sex trafficking if voluntary sex work were legal.
Las Vegas Elected Official Robert Telles Arrested as Suspect in Journalist Jeff German's Death
Plus: The wage premium from having a college degree is falling, study finds black access to firearms reduced lynchings during Jim Crow, and more...
The Utah Supreme Court Holds that Crime Victims Can Intervene in Criminal Cases to Protect Their Rights
The Court agrees with my argument that crime victims can become "limited-purpose parties" in criminal proceedings to protect their interests, such as an interest in the confidentiality of mental health counseling records.
A Crime Victims' Rights Act Challenge to the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes Deferred Prosecution Agreement
My filings yesterday on behalf of the fifteen families who lost loved ones in the Boeing 737 MAX crashes explains why the Justice Department could not keep victims' families in the dark when it negotiated its immunity deal with Boeing.
The Eleventh Circuit Rules Against Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Abuse Victims' Efforts to Rescind His Secret Plea Deal
The en banc ruling calls the sordid deal a "national disgrace" but concludes the courts are powerless to enforce crime victims' rights in pre-charging situations--a disturbing ruling that I hope will be quickly overturned.
The Eleventh Circuit Grants Rehearing En Banc on the Victims' Challenge to Epstein's Non-Prosecution Agreement
The full Court will consider whether Jeffrey Epstein's victims can argue for invalidating the immunity provisions in the Epstein deal.
How Should Judge Sullivan Determine if the Government's Motion to Dismiss the Michael Flynn Case is Appropriate?
This "victimless" crime is a curious one for close judicial scrutiny of a Government motion to dismiss--closer scrutiny should be reserved for cases in which crime victims have a clear interest.
Jeffrey Epstein's Victims Receive Amicus Support in the Eleventh Circuit
The congressional co-sponsors of the Crime Victims' Rights Act (Senator Feinstein and former Senators Kyl and Hatch) and the National Crime Victim's Law Institute both file amicus briefs supporting rehearing en banc.
Chicago Judge Says His Bail Reforms Were a Success. But Independent Reviews Show Flaws and More Crimes.
Did Cook County overdo it and let too many dangerous defendants free?
New York Police Try To Pin Gang Witness's Death on Criminal Justice Reforms
The state’s new rules requiring information-sharing with defense lawyers are not to blame here.
Corrections Officers, Jurors, and the Families of Nick Sutton's Victims Want Him Taken Off Death Row
The Tennessee death row inmate "has gone from a life-taker to a life-saver."
An Ohio City Is Declaring Itself a 'Crime Victim' of a False Police Report and Demanding Restitution
Ohio's Marsy’s Law has the potential to be abused for municipal cash grabs.
Some Controversial Kentucky Pardons Are Being Used to Push for a 'Victim's Rights' Bill
Courts struck down Marsy’s Law last year. Lawmakers want to bring it back.
Prosecutors Violated the Rights of Jeffrey Epstein's Victims
Today a federal judge held that federal prosecutors concealed from the victims the non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein -- in violation of the Crime Victims Rights Act. Now the issue is what remedy exists.
The Current Posture of the Crime Victims Rights Challenge to Jeffrey Epstein's Plea Deal
In a case I'm working on, Jeffrey Epstein's victims hope to set aside a non-prosecution agreement based on violations of their rights under the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
