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US federal appeals court hears oral arguments in Mississippi felony disenfranchisement case

JURIST

Several voters who were previously convicted of felonies challenged the law on the basis of it being an unconstitutional example of cruel and unusual punishment under the US Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. The case, Dennis Hopkins v. No indication has been given as to a timeline for the decision.

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The Unfinished Business of Felony Murder

The Crime Report

In 2017, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court abolished key aspects of its “felony murder rule,” the common law doctrine that made everyone involved in a felony that resulted in death guilty of first-degree murder—guilty even if they personally inflicted no violence and never intended to hurt anyone. The Rest of the Iceberg.

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California Supreme Court: prisoners must get lawyer when challenging convictions for killings committed by others

JURIST

The California Supreme Court held Monday that prisoners are entitled to a lawyer before a trial court can consider their record of conviction in determining whether the prisoners may challenge their murder convictions for killings committed by others. The new law in question was California Senate Bill No. Section 1170.95

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Morning Docket: 11.05.24

Above The Law

* "Several Big Law firms treat nonequity lawyers as full partners for tax purposes" without giving them the share of profits the actual partners in the firm receive. AG Ken Paxton -- who settled outstanding felony charges against him earlier this year -- argued that Texas was fully capable of keeping things legal.

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Can’t Just Commit Felonies On The Clock And Keep Your License In Tennessee

Above The Law

The post Can’t Just Commit Felonies On The Clock And Keep Your License In Tennessee appeared first on Above the Law. Practice being honest or lose your practice!

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Caila A Coleman: 5 Things You Need To Become A Top Lawyer In Your Field

The Estrin Report

Have people to bounce ideas off of: those people can be other lawyers, but also make sure you are talking to people who are NOT lawyers as well. Lawyers are often smart, ambitious, and highly educated. That being said, what does it take to stand out and become a “Top Lawyer” in your specific field of law?

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Only 1 out of 5 defendants in this Mississippi county get court-appointed lawyers before indictment

ABA Journal

The right to counsel is “tenuous” in a small Mississippi justice court in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, where two judges appointed lawyers for felony defendants in…

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