Justia Criminal Law Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the post-conviction court denying Defendant's petition for post-conviction relief, holding that the post-conviction court did not err in ruling that trial counsel had not rendered ineffective assistance and that the State had not violated its Brady obligations during the underlying proceedings, holding that there was no error.After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of distribution of heroin and sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. The appellate court affirmed. Defendant later filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief, which the post-conviction court denied. On appeal, the appellate court certified questions of law to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court answered (1) the post-conviction court did not err in ruling that trial counsel had not rendered ineffective assistance by failing to move production of certain evidence; and (2) assuming, without deciding, that the State was required to disclose challenged impeachment evidence prior to the hearing on Defendant's motion to suppress, Defendant failed to establish the Brady materiality standard. View "Blake v. State" on Justia Law

In this case involving the criminal trial of two co-defendants whose cases had been consolidated and was initially scheduled for a date beyond the appropriate date under the "Hicks rule" and the trial court made no finding of "good cause," the Supreme Court held that the dismissal of Defendants' indictments as a remedy for the Hicks violation was inappropriate.The circuit court granted Defendants' motions to dismiss their respective indictments because of the Hicks rule violations. The appellate court affirmed in the case of Garrick Powell on the grounds that Powell's attorney did not expressly consent to a trial date beyond the Hicks date but reversed in the case of Lateekqua Jackson, determining that Jackson expressly consented a trial date beyond the Hicks date. The Supreme Court reversed in part and reversed in part, holding (1) through his conduct, Powell's counsel sought a trial date that exceeded the Hicks date, thus precluding dismissal of the indictment against him due to the Hicks violation; and (2) through her conduct, Jackson's attorney sought a trial date that exceeded the Hicks date, thereby precluding dismissal of the indictment as a remedy for the Hicks violation. View "Jackson v. State" on Justia Law

The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment of the circuit court convicting Defendant of first-degree murder and related handgun offenses, holding that the circuit court abused its discretion in permitting a firearms examiner to testify, without qualification, that bullets left at a murder scene were filed from a gun Defendant had acknowledged was his, and the error was not harmless.On appeal, Defendant argued that the circuit court abused its discretion in admitting the firearms identification testimony based on testimony, reports, and studies that called into question the reliability of firearms identification analysis. The Court of Appeals agreed and reversed the case for a new trial, holding that the circuit court (1) did not abuse its discretion in ruling that the firearms examiner could testify about firearms identification generally and other information; but (2) erred in permitting the examiner to opine without qualification that the crime scene bullets were fired from Defendant's firearm. View "Abruquah v. State" on Justia Law