The Sixth Circuit has vacated its earlier ruling in United States v. Blewett regarding full retroactivity of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. It will be holding its en banc argument in the case on October 9, 2013. Because the earlier ruling has such broad implications for hundreds of individuals who are presently incarcerated, we will continue to update this posting. US v Blewett, Order of 07-11-2013
It's that time again! The Federal Criminal Practice Seminar is set for Friday, August 16, 2013, at Sammy's One Cleveland Center, 1375 East 9th Street, Cleveland, Ohio. For more information and registration form please see Training/Events - Local Seminars & Events.
The Supreme Court on June 3, 2013, issued their decision in Maryland v. King. The Court stated when officers make an arrest supported by probable cause to hold a suspect for a serious offense and bring him to the station to be detained in custody, taking and analyzing a cheek swab of the arrestee’s DNA is, like fingerprinting and photographing, a legitimate police booking procedure that is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. To read the decision, please see Law - Caselaw - Supreme Court.
The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's Criminal Law Section is presenting a seminar which will examine the Supreme Court's 1963 opinion of Gideon v. Wainwright and the impact the Court's holding has had on our justice system. The program will be held on June 13, 2013, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.) at CMBA Offices, 1301 East Ninth Street, 2nd Level Galleria, Cleveland, Ohio. (3.0 CLE Hours) For more information please see our calendar under Training/Events --- Local Seminars & Events.
The Toledo Bar Association has put together a panel of Federal, State, and local speakers to discuss prisoner release and reentry programs. The program is scheduled for June 10, 2013, from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library McMaster Center Auditorium, 325 Michigan St., Toledo, OH. (2.75 CLE Hours) A reception will follow from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. For more information please see our calendar under Training/Events --- Local Seminars & Events.
We will be presenting a video replay of a very well-received program by Donald Wochna, Esq. of Vestige Digital Investigations presented last fall in Akron. It will take place at two locations: the 7th Floor Auditorium at the Stokes U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland, and in the Jury Assembly Room in the James M. Ashley and Thomas W.L. Ashley U.S.
On January 29, 2013, Judge John Gleeson in United States v. Ysidro Diaz (E.D.N.Y.) called upon the United States Sentencing Commission to revamp the drug-related sentencing guidelines from top to bottom, and by doing so to reduce the overall prison time for these types of crimes. The opinion, which is heavily researched and contains many references to sentencing statistics and other secondary sources, contains much information that could be helpful in sentencing hearings in drug trafficking cases.
The United States Sentencing Commission just issued its overview of federal criminal cases in the United States for the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2011. This short summary provides a glimpse into criminal justice in our federal courts, and illustrates nationwide trends in prosecution. It can be at times a helpful tool for sentencing as well. The link to this complete document is below.
The video replay of the Federal Criminal Practice Seminar dates have been scheduled. Please see the attached notice for further information. If you have any questions, please contact Christine Sason at (216) 522-4856 or Mary Fulvimar at (330) 375-5739.
This seminar is a videotaped presentation of the Federal Criminal Practice Seminar held on August 17, 2012 and presented by the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Ohio and the Northern Ohio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Please see the link below for the seminar locations, dates and registration information.
