Preparing for the penalty phase; there are actually two Oklahoma bombing trials afoot in Denver

Article Abstract:

Some criminal defense lawyers feel a guilty verdict to be almost a given in the Oklahoma bombing case and are focusing on showing mitigating factors during the sentencing phase to spare bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh the death penalty. The 168 victims in the largest terrorist attack in US history make the guilty verdict a virtual certitude. Richard H. Burr III and Patrick M. Ryan will be the defense lawyers in the sentencing phase, and this phase will rely mostly on mitigation research. Some observers think mitigation may be next to impossible in this case.

United States, Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995, McVeigh, Timothy

---

States are new venue to sue cops; Bivens-type actions pursued under state constitutions

Article Abstract:

An increase in constitutional tort actions at the state rather than the federal level is apparent 27 years after the landmark 1971 Bivens case. Puerto Rico and 21 state supreme courts and legislatures have recognized a civil cause of action mirroring the one created in Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. The US Supreme Courts under Chief Justices Warren Burger and William Rehnquist narrowed Fourth Amendment protections while the state high courts strengthened their own constitutions.

Government liability, Constitutional torts, states

---

D.C. cop's lies may taint trials; resume-packing by drug 'expert' puts cases under review

Article Abstract:

Retired Washington, DC police detective Valentine Brown, Jr, conviction on eight perjury counts is discussed, and Brown lied on his resume and in criminal trials which caused defendants to go to prison partly because of his testimony. Fewer defendants' lawyers are filing appeals, in recognition perhaps of the difficulty of showing that Brown's testimony was material to a conviction.

Washington, DC, Perjury, Washington, D.C., Brown, Valentine, Jr.

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Getting those in-house jobs; traits prized by law firms are exactly those that companies eschew. Big-firm hiring freeze coming? Market slump creates caution about new hires
• Abstracts: Prescription for liability; some courts say pharmacists have a duty to warn patients of drug hazards. Fame no bar to press coverage; civil courts must remain open unless 'overriding interest' supports closure
• Abstracts: Impact of the generation-skipping tax on trusts using Crummey powers. Planning to minimize generation-skipping tax: tools and traps
• Abstracts: 1997 Principal and Income Act reflects modern trust investing. New Uniform Trust Code modernizes and clarifies rules governing trusts
• Abstracts: QTIP's tax benefits increased by sale of remainder interest. Revisiting purchases of remainder interests in QTIP trusts

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.