State v. Bryant — OWI conviction affirmed because defendant conceded reasonable suspicion below
Case State of Iowa v. Anna Marie Bryant Court Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Greer, P.J.; Badding, J.; Sandy, J.
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Constitutional
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Commonwealth v. Williams — SJC vacates murder conviction over gunshot-residue evidence
The Massachusetts SJC ordered a new murder trial because prosecutors used particles from scientifically negative gunshot-residue tests as identification evidence without establishing that inference was reliable.
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People v. Cruz — Codefendant Trial Transcripts Did Not Violate Due Process at Resentencing
Using a codefendant’s trial transcripts at a Penal Code section 1172.6 hearing did not violate due process because the petitioner could present and test evidence.
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Commonwealth v. Beechman — Equally divided Appeals Court affirms firearm suppression
An equally divided Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed suppression of a firearm found after police impounded and searched an unregistered SUV parked off the public way.
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Commonwealth v. Thomas — CyberTip report hearsay requires new trial on dissemination count
The Superior Court held that an electronic service provider’s CyberTip report was inadmissible hearsay and ordered a new trial on the only count that depended on the report.
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Wilson v. State — Delaware Supreme Court affirmed denial of postconviction relief
Case Brian Wilson a/k/a Fudayl Wakim v. State of Delaware Court Delaware Supreme Court Judge Traynor; LeGrow; Griffiths Date Decided
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Montes v. Superior Court — Prosecutors bear the burden to justify withholding jury-selection notes
A defendant may obtain prosecution jury-selection notes in postconviction discovery without first making a prima facie showing of racial bias.
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Commonwealth v. Serrano — Discarded gun bag in open truck bed was abandoned
The Superior Court reversed suppression of a firearm, holding that a suspect had no reasonable expectation of privacy in a stranger’s pickup truck and abandoned his bag by leaving it in the open bed and fleeing.
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State v. Barrager — Vacated denial of 138 days’ jail credit as an unconstitutional ex post facto application
Case State of Kansas v. Joseph Jonathan Barrager Court Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Bolton Fleming, P.J.; Hill, J.; Gardner,
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People v. Adam — Witness travel and unexplained courtroom unavailability did not justify missing the misdemeanor speedy-trial deadline
The court reversed a misdemeanor conviction because witness travel ending before the last day and unexplained courtroom unavailability did not establish good cause to exceed section 1382’s deadline.
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State v. Nelson — Evidence supports arrest-avoidance finding in river pursuit
The Utah Supreme Court reinstated further appellate review of a failure-to-stop conviction, holding that evidence supported a finding that a kayaker acted to avoid arrest.
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State v. Wahlstrom — Coercive deadlock instruction requires a new DUI trial
The Utah Court of Appeals reversed a DUI conviction because a late-night deadlock instruction coercively pressured minority jurors and defense counsel was ineffective for failing to object.
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State v. Aldemur — convictions upheld, but some sentences vacated for merger
Case State of Ohio v. Mohamad Aldemur Court Ohio Court of Appeals, Eighth District, Cuyahoga County Judge Emanuella D. Groves;
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State v. Whitten — Ohio appeals court upholds convictions and prison sentence
Case State of Ohio v. Brady Whitten Court Ohio Court of Appeals, Eighth District, Cuyahoga County Judge Mary J. Boyle;
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State v. Marichal — Maine high court upholds OUI conviction after trial continuance was denied
Case State of Maine v. Heather Marichal Court Maine Supreme Judicial Court Judge STANFILL, C.J. Date Decided September 17, 2026
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People v. Superior Court (Jackson) — Prosecutors cannot compel their own mental-health examination of a defendant seeking pretrial diversion
Prosecutors cannot compel their own mental-health examination of a defendant seeking pretrial diversion.
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People v. Williams — Broad sentencing statistics did not establish a prima facie Racial Justice Act claim
A broad racial disparity statistic covering multiple kinds of enhancements did not establish a prima facie California Racial Justice Act violation without controlled analysis or comparable cases.
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Hall v. State — revocation affirmed; sentencing order remanded for correction
Case Michael Wayne Hall v. State of Arkansas Court Arkansas Court of Appeals, Division I Judge Brandon J. Harrison, Judge
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Commonwealth v. Thomas — Drawn gun turns police approach into a seizure
The Superior Court held that an officer’s display of a gun, combined with credibility findings against the officer, supported treating the encounter as a seizure before the defendant abandoned a handgun.
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United States v. Levasseur — First Circuit upheld felon-in-possession conviction against as-applied Second Amendment challenge
Case United States of America v. Jason Levasseur Court U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Judge Barron; Rikelman;
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In re Haney — Racial Justice Act claim fails under Hazlett’s defendant-focused standard
The First District denied a Racial Justice Act jury-selection claim because the evidence did not meet Hazlett’s requirement of bias directed toward the defendant.
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Commonwealth v. Curry — Supreme Court rejects generalized nexus for home search
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed a Superior Court ruling that upheld a residential search warrant based on generalized assumptions about where firearm and drug evidence would be kept.
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Hendry v. State — False police accusations were not protected hyperbole
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a false-informing conviction based on specific, knowingly false accusations against police, distinguishing verifiable claims from protected political rhetoric.
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Marks v. State — Hawaiʻi Supreme Court accepts certiorari and limits argument to sentencing-scheme constitutional issues
Case Donald B. Marks v. State of Hawaiʻi Court Supreme Court of the State of Hawaiʻi Judge McKenna, Acting C.J.;