US SUPREME COURT – Hinton v. Alabama: Effective Counsel and Forensic Expertise

On February 24th, the United States Supreme Court issued a per curiam reversal in the case of Alabama death row inmate Anthony Ray Hinton.  Applying “a straightforward application of [its] ineffective-assistance-of-counsel precedents,” the Court held that “it was unreasonable for Hinton’s lawyer to […]

The Supreme Court Says No To Warrantless, Non-Consensual Blood Draws

Supreme Court Cases You Can Actually Use: Missouri v. McNeely, 133 S.Ct. 1552 (2013) The U.S. Supreme Court has unequivocally ruled that when a person is stopped on suspicion of drunk driving, the police may not take a blood sample […]

The backstory to Alabama v. Shelton

You remember Alabama v. Shelton, 535 U.S. 654 (2002) don’t you? That’s the case where the US Supreme Court continued its slow march toward fully realizing the right to counsel promised in Gideon v. Wainwright. That’s the case where the Court held […]