Mary Whisner is associated with legal scholarship and commentary focusing on criminal justice and appellate law issues. The content linked to her includes analysis of incarceration trends, evidence-based practices in indigent defense, appellate procedure rules, and constitutional rights such as the right to counsel at bail hearings. The publications often discuss empirical research, legal reforms, and case law developments relevant to criminal defense, judicial procedures, and policy implications. The materials serve legal professionals, policymakers, and scholars interested in law and justice topics, particularly those concerning criminal defense quality, procedural fairness, and systemic challenges in the justice system.
The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences (2014), packed with research and analysis from social scientists and policy experts, is available as a free PDF from the National Academies Press.
…
This interesting paper was recently posted on SSRN:
Jennifer E. Laurin, Gideon by the Numbers: The Emergence of Evidence-Based Practice in Indigent Defense, Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, Forthcoming 2015
Abstract:
A widespread consensus understands Gideon’s promise…
Interesting case from New York: Joel Stashenko, Conviction Reversed as Expert Barred from Testifying, N.Y.L.J., April 3, 2015.
The case is People v. McCullough, 11-01614 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., App. Div. March 27, 2015), link to court website
A proposed change to Rule 32 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure would put appellate briefs on an enforced diet:
…
This report begins with a discussion on…
Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sue Bell Cobb decries the effect of money on judicial campaigns: I Was Alabama’s Top Judge. I’m Ashamed by What I Had to Do to Get There. Politico, March/April 2015.
…
A fascinating study of briefs opposing summary judgment in a particular class of employment discrimination cases—a topic with conflicting cases within the circuit—found that a majority omitted available case law that would have countered the defendants’ arguments. And it makes…
The University of Illinois Springfield offers a free online course on the Innocence Movement beginning today, Feb. 2, 2015. You can register online at: http://uis.coursesites.com (Click on this link, then click the name of the course, The Innocence Movement, in…
During the forum on Tuesday, there was
discussion about why Darren Wilson was not interviewed for a few
days after shooting Michael Brown. Former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said that many police unions have negotiated a term
in their contracts…
Stephen Bright is president and senior counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights, a public interest law program that deals with human rights in the criminal justice and prison systems. He has also been a visiting lecturer or…
