Elise Colin has been elected president of Harvard Defenders for the 2026–2027 academic year, positioning her to lead one of the nation’s most established student-run criminal defense clinics at a time of continued scrutiny over access to justice for low-income defendants. Founded in 1949, Harvard Defenders operates as a student-practice organization within Harvard Law School,…
A legal professional is cautioning the public about the serious and often irreversible consequences of reporting domestic violence incidents, explaining that once law enforcement is involved, the legal process may proceed regardless of a caller’s later intentions. Attorney Stephanie Lindsey, known online as @attorneystephanie, issued the warning in a widely circulated social media post, urging…
The release of newly unsealed Jeffrey Epstein–related files has set off a fast-moving, multinational chain of legal and institutional responses, as prosecutors, governments, media organizations and law firms take action against individuals named or linked in the documents. What is emerging is a widening chronology of accountability efforts that now spans several jurisdictions and legal…
The sentencing of former Illinois sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson to the maximum 20-year prison term for the killing of Sonya Massey marks a consequential moment in the legal treatment of police use-of-force cases—one that extends beyond a single courtroom in Springfield. Grayson, 31, was convicted in October of a lesser homicide offense after fatally shooting…
A federal judge in New York has approved the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury materials from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case, following Congress’ recent passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. In a four-page ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman emphasized that disclosure must protect the privacy and safety of victims,…
Sean “Diddy” Combs is continuing to fight his federal conviction under the Mann Act, arguing that prosecutors relied on the wrong legal definition of prostitution when securing his guilty verdict. According to new court filings, Combs’ legal team is asking U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to either acquit him of the charges or grant him…
The American legal landscape reflects a patchwork of state-level variations, shaped by demographics, geography, culture, and legislative priorities. While all fifty states recognize and prosecute the full spectrum of crimes, patterns emerge that reveal which offenses are most prevalent in certain jurisdictions. Understanding these trends not only informs policymakers but also helps legal practitioners, scholars,…
Nearly a year after his conviction, the 2024 murder of Taya Ashton, a 20-year-old Black transgender woman, continues to reverberate across the nation. DeAllen Price, the man who fatally shot Ashton in her Maryland apartment, was sentenced to 60 years in prison, with 12 years suspended, effectively handing him a 48-year sentence for a crime…