Grants of Certiorari in the US Supreme Court Summaries

Summaries of Grants of Certiorari

PROSECUTOR--Withholding Evidence
GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY

Van de Kamp v Goldstein
cert grt'd ___ US ___; ___ SCt ___; ___ LEd2d ___
(#07-854, 04-14-08)

Review was granted to decide whether supervisory prosecutors have absolute immunity against liability in a civil rights lawsuit for violating their constitutional duty under Giglio v United States, 405 US 150 (1972), to establish procedures to ensure that all relevant information in criminal cases is shared with every lawyer within the office who deals with the case.



FCC

Federal Communications Commission v Fox Television Stations, Inc.
489 F3d 444 (CA 2, 2007)
cert grt'd ___ US ___ (07-582, 3-17-08)

The Court granted review to decide whether the Second Circuit Court of Appeals erred in striking down the FCC's determination that the broadcast of vulgar expletives may violate federal restrictions on the broadcast of “any obscene, indecent, or profane language,” where the use of the expletives was an isolated incident.



CONFRONTATION--Right To

Melendez-Diaz v Massachusetts
69 Mass App Ct 1114, 870 NE2d 676 (2007)
cert grt'd ___ US ___ (#07-591, 3-17-08)

The question presented is whether a state forensic analyst's laboratory report prepared for use in a criminal prosecution is “testimonial” evidence pursuant to Crawford v Washington, 541 US 36 (2004).



HABEAS CORPUS--Federal
INSTRUCTIONS--Accomplice Testimony

Waddington v Sarausad
479 F3d 671 (CA 9, 2007)
cert grt'd ___ US ___ (#07-772, 3-17-08)

The Court will decide whether, in reviewing a due process challenge to jury instructions in a habeas petition, the federal courts must accept the state court determination that the instructions fully and correctly set out state law governing accomplice liability, and whether it was an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law to conclude that there was no reasonable likelihood that the jury misapplied the instructions so as to relieve the prosecution of the burden of proving all elements of a crime.



SENTENCING AND PUNISHMENT--Blakely

Oregon v Ice
343 Ore 248, 170 P3d 1049 (2007)
cert grt'd ___ US ___ (#07-901, 3-17-08)

The Court granted review on the issue of whether the Sixth Amendment as interpreted in Blakely v Washington, 542 US 466 (2004), requires that facts (other than prior convictions) necessary to imposing consecutive sentences be found by a jury or admitted by the defendant.



HABEAS CORPUS--Federal

Jimenez v Quarterman
unpublished order (CA 5, #6:05-cv-00052, 2007)
cert grt'd ___ US ___ (#07-6984, 3-17-08)

The Court will decide whether the granting of an out-of-time appeal by the state court started the habeas limitations period anew.



SEARCH AND SEIZURE--Incident to Arrest

Herring v United States
#07-513, February 19, 2008
82 CrL 520

The Court granted review on the issue of whether the Fourth Amendment requires that evidence found during a search incident to arrest be suppressed when the arresting officer conducted the arrest and search in sole reliance upon facially credible but erroneous information negligently provided by another officer. Case below: 492 F3d 1212 (CA11, 2007).



Send a message to Criminal Defense Resource Center

State Appellate Defender Office
Copyright © 2008