In a petition for writ of mandamus, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller has asked the state Supreme Court to vacate the public warning the State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued to her on July 16 due to her conduct in connection with the 2007 execution of convicted murderer Michael Richard. Keller alleges that the commission lacked authority under the state constitution to issue the public warning and asks the Supreme Court to dismiss all charges against her.

In an important Second Amendment decision that charts a course for evaluating the validity of gun laws now that the Supreme Court has declared the right to be an individual one, the 3rd Circuit has refused to strike down a federal law that bans possession of guns with obliterated serial numbers.

New York courts have come down on opposite sides recently in immigration cases where defendants argued that their convictions are not valid in light of a recent Supreme Court decision on ineffective assistance of counsel. Steven Banks, attorney-in-chief of the Legal Aid Society, said that while no federal or state appellate court has decided whether to apply Padilla v.

Attorney Leonard Deutchman found the Supreme Court’s admonishment in Quon that the “judiciary risks error by elaborating too fully on the Fourth Amendment implications of emerging technology before its role in society has become clear” lacked much-needed guidance for lower courts.

A recent Supreme Court decision greatly expands the powers of law enforcement officers during custodial interrogations.