A federal judge has mandated that the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in California either retry Curtis Lee Ervin, a 71-year-old man who has spent 33 years on death row, or release him within 60 days. This decision comes after accusations of prosecutorial misconduct during Ervin’s original trial, specifically regarding jury selection practices that violated…
In the inaugural installment of “Cases in Brief” two years ago, Harvard Law Professor Dehlia Umunna delves into the landmark case Powell v. Alabama (1932), famously known as the “Scottsboro Boys” case. This pivotal case marked the U.S. Supreme Court’s seminal ruling, establishing defendants’ rights to adequate legal representation in capital cases under the 14th…
On this day, March 6, we commemorate a pivotal moment in American history: the infamous ruling of Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857. It was a legal battle that began as a quest for freedom but ended up shaping the course of the nation’s future. In 1846, Dred Scott, an enslaved Black man, and his…
A judge in Illinois has ruled that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on the state’s Republican presidential primary ballot due to his involvement in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter sided with Illinois voters who argued that Trump violated the anti-insurrection clause of the U.S.…
The issue of gay rights and the constitutional protection of homosexual conduct has long been a subject of contentious legal debate in the United States. Over the years, landmark Supreme Court decisions have shaped the legal framework surrounding this issue, leaving many questions unanswered and raising concerns about the treatment of individuals based on their…