A judge in Pennsylvania judge was convicted of sending kids to juvenile detention in return for cash. His sentence was for 28 years after it was determined he took over 1 million dollars in bribes, reported by NPR. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania threw out over 4000 cases that took place between 2003 and 2008. It was …
Santae Tribble cleared in 1978 murder based on DNA hair test
Santae Tribble was convicted of killing a cab driver in 1978 because of a supposed matched hair in a stocking cap. The killer was wearing a stocking cap that was obtained by the police, and after DNA tests it was determined one hair was Tribble’s. After 28 years he finally was exonerated due to findings in July …
Supreme Court Takes On Racial Discrimination In Jury Selection
The Supreme Court is addressing race discrimination in the selection of jurors. Prospective jurors normally are questioned by the prosecution and defense lawyers. They typically are removed “for cause,” which means they are unable to be impartial. Both sides also have the ability to remove jurors without stating a reason, but sometimes a reason for removing …
Branstad: State will investigate wrongful convictions
Governor Branstad acknowledged that “in a system run by humans, mistakes can be made,” even with confidence in Iowa’s legal system. A unit is being established to review potential wrongful convictions and provide a legal remedy. Convicted felons have been able to appeal their conviction in court, but a new unit will provide additional resources. …
SUPREME COURT: COPS CAN ENTER HOME WITHOUT WARRANT
The Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote is choosing to allow police officers to enter homes without a warrant. “When occupants of a residence disagree on whether they will admit police without a warrant, the objecting occupant must be physically present. That doesn’t change if police have removed the objector…”. Although their was a majority vote supporting …
Iowa’s open records law on body camera footage murky, expert says
A panel discussion was hosted by The Des Moines Register and the Iowa Newspaper Association to discuss Iowa’s open record laws and how they will affect police body camera footage. The laws in place are too broad and not specific enough on what is to be done with the footage. The democratic senator from Waterloo Danielson …
Law removing felons’ voting rights is upheld
In 2013 Kelli Jo Griffin of Montrose tried to cast her vote on a city election and was charged with perjury for registering to vote as a felon. In 2008 she obtained a felony for cocaine delivery. The jury determined in 2013 that she made an honest mistake when registering to vote. A policy that was established in …
Apartments Downtown appeals class action suit
The largest property management company in Iowa City, Apartments Downtown, has filed an appeal with the Iowa Supreme Court asking for a reversal of a July district court ruling that deemed lease provisions used by the landlord illegal and approved a class-action suit filed by former tenants. A district court judge agreed with the former tenants that …
Automated license plate readers coming to Cedar Rapids
There will soon be two squad cars in Cedar Rapids with automatic license plate readers. This means that any plate they drive by will be scanned and will alert them if the car has been stole, the person is wanted for a crime, driving without a license and etc. The goal behind the scanners is …
Iowa City Police Update Arrest Policy After Video Surfaces
The Iowa City Police Department wants to emphasize communication following a video that surfaced of a recent arrest. The controversy began because of a white Police Officer, Travis Graves arrested a black teen with use of alleged excessive force. In the video the office tells the teen to “put his hands behind his back” and …
Iowa Court On Open Container Law
Iowa Court of Appeals rules that having an open container of alcohol inside a vehicle does not violate the open container law when the vehicle is in a private parking lot, because the vehicle must be on a public street or highway for the law to be violated. Hence, evidence of drugs secured as a …
Officer’s alleged lies may jeopardize DWI cases
A Dallas police sergeant is being accused of perjury over a drunk driving case in 2012. On July 6th, 2012 officer Baker pulled over a civilian after he allegedly ran a red light. After getting pulled over Baker conducted several field sobriety tests and arrested the civilian after several failed tests. The footage from Baker’s …