Johnny Depp Won’t Release “Abuse Of Drugs & Alcohol” Documents In $50M Defamation Suit Against Amber Heard, ‘Aquaman’ Actress Claims  DeadlineJust under a week after filing to have ex-husband Johnny Depp's $50 million defamation suit tossed out, Amber Heard today went to court to force the Pirates of ...

Civil Justice Needs Federal Leadership  Center For American ProgressDownload the PDF here. Sonja's apartment is decorated with photographs and keepsakes that reflect her devotion to her family and her faith. Furniture is ...

Democrats seek to scrub criminal records to prevent prolonged punishment  The Colorado IndependentRecord sealing bill aims to give people a clean slate after searving their time in the criminal justice system.

A Fresh Start: Expunging Criminal Convictions  Crime ReportAt least 36 states permit adults with criminal convictions to have their records sealed or expunged, but does “wiping the slate clean” actually produce better ...

Expungement And Sealing Of Records Help Ex-Criminals Return To Work  NPRA criminal conviction can present obstacles to everything from jobs to housing. Since 2017, more than 20 states have expanded or added laws that help people ...

Don't Be Fooled -- Kamala Harris's "Criminal Justice" Plan Is Not Progressive  TruthoutOn Monday, Sen. Kamala Harris released her plan on criminal punishment reform — the latest Democratic presidential hopeful to do so. While some of her ...

The Undocumented Immigrant Accused Of Killing Kate Steinle Wasn’t Guilty Of Any Crimes, A Court Ruled  BuzzFeed NewsJose Inez Garcia Zarate was acquitted in the killing of Kate Steinle in 2015 but convicted of a gun charge. On Friday, an appeals court overturned the conviction.

Newsletter: Why are more women being killed?  Los Angeles TimesAs homicides overall in L.A. drop, more women are being killed — often by intimate partners.

Federal Judge Rebukes the Willie Horton Strategy  The AppealTexas: In approving bail reform, federal judge rebukes Houston's DA for using the Willie Horton strategy. Michigan: Advocates introduce bills to expand, ...

Criminal Convictions Behind Them, Few Have Had Their Records Sealed  The New York TimesA recent New York State law allows people convicted of certain crimes to hide the record from public view. So far, only 346 records have been sealed.

Nevada's New Record-Sealing Law: 'One of Broadest' in US  Crime ReportNevada is the kind of place where a lot of people end up needing a second chance. It's a state where the booms and busts of the gaming industry have led many ...

800000 Eligible to Clear Their Record in Illinois Legal Pot  WTTW NewsSPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — For decades, getting caught with a small amount of marijuana could put Illinois residents in jail for up to six months and perhaps worse ...

Spain's Historic Offer of Citizenship to Sephardic Jews  The AtlanticThe clock is ticking down on one of the world's most unusual immigration proposals—Spain's offer of citizenship to Jews whose families it expelled more than ...

Judge's Record-Sealing Denial Highlights 'Shortcomings' of Second-Chance Law  Queens Daily EagleThe conviction-sealing law fails “to explicitly address criminal records of younger offenders, even though it was enacted as part of the Raise the Age legislation.”

Lining up for a second chance: Legal clinic provides path to clearing old criminal records  Cincinnati.comThe Hamilton County Public Defenders Office has operated the *Fresh* Start clinic since 2013. Offenders hope to have records expunged so it's easier to get jobs.

Rauner signs bills to expand criminal record sealing and juvenile record expungement  Illinois PolicyGov. Bruce Rauner signed two bills into law Aug. 24, which will make it easier for ex-offenders to obtain gainful employment and turn their lives around.

Changes in Ohio Laws Could Help Give Ex-Offenders New Opportunities  WOSUOver the last seven years, Ohio's been slowly changing a set of laws that many believe keeps ex-offenders from getting jobs, paying child support and even.

NYPD Has Databases of Expunged Stop-And-Frisk Arrests, Bronx Defenders Say  The Marshall ProjectIn New York City, officers are illegally using information from arrests that have been sealed, according to a lawsuit. The practice is legal in more than two dozen ...

How Miami-Dade Prosecutors Deliver a 'Second Chance'  Crime ReportIn the daily administration of a prosecutor's office, large or small, our duties bring us face to face with individuals enveloped by crisis, chaos, and/or one or more ...

How Mining Criminal History Records Can Shape the Future of Criminal Justice  Crime ReportWe live in an era in which the fundamental assumptions of our approach to crime and justice are being questioned. We are witnessing a reform movement that ...

5 of the most impactful laws Pennsylvania passed in 2018  Billy PennFrom criminal justice reform to actual firearms legislation.

From bail reform to restoring voting rights and sealing records, Colorado's criminal justice system is getting a makeover  The Colorado SunIf all the criminal justice measures are ultimately signed into law, the slate of bills would represent a significant and fast-moving overhaul of Colorado's justice ...

An algorithm wipes clean the criminal pasts of thousands  BBC NewsThis month, a judge in California cleared thousands of criminal records with one stroke of his pen. He did it thanks to a ground-breaking new algorithm that ...

Five Things You Didn't Know About Clearing Your Record  The Marshall ProjectA Nashville lawyer hopes to wipe clean some arrest records for 128,000 Tennesseans. The lawyer, Daniel Horwitz, who has worked on multiple cases regarding ...

Clean Slate: How Ditching A Criminal Record Is No Easy Task  Law360An estimated 100 million Americans have criminal records that follow them for life. Some states have moved to ease the burden by passing record-sealing laws ...

lawmakers-pass-record-sealing-expansion  Illinois PolicyBoth chambers of the Illinois General Assembly have now passed a measure to enable more ex-offenders to petition a court to seal their criminal records.

Project Clean Slate Helps Detroit Residents Wipe Criminal Records  Crime ReportUnder a program called Project Clean Slate, hundreds of Michigan residents are trying to expunge their records of criminal convictions, driven by prospects of ...

Bipartisan 'Clean Slate' Bill Would Seal Records for Pot, Other Offenses  Crime ReportA bipartisan pair of House members are making a push for a “second chance” law for people convicted of certain low-level federal offenses, Politico reports.

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias arrested on suspicion of domestic battery  Los Angeles TimesDodgers pitcher Julio Urias was arrested Monday night on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery after witnesses told Los Angeles police they saw him ...

Not guilty or charged? A criminal record can still haunt you  USA TODAYNASHVILLE -- Perhaps this is a blinding glimpse of the obvious, but when you are arrested that arrest creates a criminal record.

Clean Slate law would allow full family healing  The CT MirrorFor billions across the world, and many of us here in Connecticut, Passover and Easter are opportunities to pause our hectic schedules and re-center our ...

Bipartisan pair looks to take Pa. Clean Slate a step further  WHYYThe Clean Slate law automatically seals records for non-convictions, summary offenses, and most nonviolent misdemeanors after ten years with no further ...

Two New Nevada Record Sealing Laws Go Into Effect  Public News ServiceCARSON CITY, Nev. – An eviction or a criminal conviction can follow a person for decades, making it difficult to get housing or a job. But two new state laws that ...

Avenatti, ex-girlfriend fought about money before alleged altercation occurred  ABC NewsMichael Avenatti, the lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, was allegedly berating his ex-girlfriend about money before an alleged physical altercation in the ...

Columbus offers some a cheaper option to seal criminal records  The Columbus DispatchTwo hundred indigent defendants now have a less-expensive way to seal their criminal records from hundreds of background-check databases. The Expedited ...

Second Chance Act would help ex-offenders get housing, employment  North Carolina Health NewsEasing the way to expunging a criminal record means it would be easier for ex-offenders to access the things needed for a healthy life.

The Obscene Difficulty of Depriving a Troubled White Man of a Gun  The New RepublicDarryl Varnum, a technology contractor for the Pentagon, is facing federal charges for threatening to kill Florida Democratic Representative Frederica Wilson ...

Dayton shooting: Sealed records on gunman pit safety against privacy  Cincinnati.comDisturbing behavior that the Dayton gunman reportedly exhibited in his youth may be detailed in law enforcement and school files so far off-limits to the public.

Diversion Programs Say They Offer a Path Away From Court, but Critics Say the Tolls Are Hefty  ProPublicaThe programs raise legal and ethical questions, including whether they create an uneven playing field for defendants and financial incentives for prosecutors to ...

AG Motion Partly Objects To Media Requests To Unseal Woodburn Court Records  indepthnh.orgThe state says Woodburn is trying to further harass the alleged victim by injecting the sex assault allegation into the proceedings.

The gift of a second chance  Illinois PolicyIllinois has started to embrace second chances for people who have been through the criminal justice system.

Acquittal of Navy SEAL May Deter Others From Reporting Crimes, Some Officials Worry  The New York TimesSAN DIEGO — Edward Gallagher, a decorated member of the Navy SEALs, was pleased and relieved when he emerged from his court-martial on Wednesday ...

California police are destroying files and charging high fees to release misconduct records  Los Angeles TimesSix months after a landmark transparency law went into effect, many of California's biggest police agencies have yet to produce police misconduct records.

Clean Slate Legislation Gets Major Push at State Capitol  CT News JunkieHARTFORD, CT — Automatically erasing the criminal records of individuals three to five years after they have completed their sentences will give them a better a ...

Media Ask High Court to Unseal Execution Case Records  Crime ReportAlabama executed convicted murderer Christopher Price on May 30 after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay of execution. Half of the briefs in the ...

Chilling body cam video details shooting of Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan  Los Angeles TimesA man charged with killing a rookie Sacramento police officer is on an around-the-clock psychiatric watch after officials said he slammed his head against a bed ...

More crimes to be expunged, impeachment process updated under bill proposals  Columbia MissourianStealing, forgery, fraud and several other nonviolent offenses would be added to the list of crimes under a proposed Missouri Senate bill.

Confused by Jussie Smollett Case? Here's What You Need to Know.  WTTW NewsThe Jussie Smollett case may be over, but confusion over the surprise ending is rampant. Why was the “Empire” star offered a deal? Was his record expunged?

N.Y. Lawmakers Pass Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana and Expunge 900000 Arrests  TIMENew York lawmakers decriminalized small amounts of marijuana after failing to agree on a comprehensive package that would have fully legalized the drug and ...

Senate OKs Sealing More Criminal Records  Texas TribuneThe criminal records of one-time offenders who stay out of trouble would be sealed and hidden from the public under a bill that cleared the Senate Tuesday.

Navy SEAL War Crimes Witness Says He Was the Killer  The New York TimesSAN DIEGO — In stunning testimony that may upend the war crimes trial of Chief Edward Gallagher of the Navy SEALs, a SEAL medic told the court on ...

The DC docket shows dozens of sealed criminal indictments. Are they from Mueller?  ABC NewsMore than three dozen sealed criminal indictments have been added to the federal court docket in Washington, D.C. since the start of 2018.

The Financial Benefits of Wiping the Slate Clean  Bankrate.comAnyone who carries a criminal record knows just how much it costs. Yet, there are some steps that past offenders can take to wipe the slate clean.

Video shows violent family fight at Disneyland as stunned parkgoers try to intervene  Los Angeles TimesA violent brawl that was captured on video broke out Saturday among family members at Disneyland as horrified parkgoers ushered children past the melee and ...

Lawmakers want Navy SEAL released from the brig ahead of war crimes trial  NavyTimes.comA group of 40 lawmakers is urging Navy officials to free Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher from confinement ahead of his trial on war ...

Inside the Push to Give Ex-Offenders in Pennsylvania a Second Chance  Pacific StandardMen and women wait by the dozen on this Saturday morning in late November. Some stare into their cell phones in a small waiting room, others lean against.

Hancock County Court  The Ellsworth AmericanThe following cases were adjudicated, reviewed or continued in Hancock County Court, according to official records: Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 Jesse E. Sawyer, 37,

Why prosecutors dropped charges against Smollett for an 'alternative resolution'  ABC NewsProsecutors dropped all charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, despite acknowledging that Smollett fabricated a street attack on himself, in order to ...

Woman murdered by boyfriend days after asking police if he had history of violence  The IndependentA family have called for a review of Clare's Law after a young woman tried to find out if her new boyfriend had a history of violence just 11 days before he brutally ...

Redding police arrest man after woman is beaten with a bat and choked  Los Angeles TimesA 41-year-old man suspected of beating his girlfriend with a baseball bat was arrested Wednesday, the Redding Police Department said.

Where the top 2020 Democrats stand on criminal justice reform  AxiosEight 2020 Democratic candidates penned essays for the Brennan Center's collection, "Ending Mass Incarceration: Ideas from Today's Leaders," highlighting ...

Trial set for Navy SEAL in Islamic State prisoner’s killing  Los Angeles TimesThe trial of a decorated Navy SEAL charged with killing an Islamic State prisoner in his care is set to begin Monday following months of turmoil in one of the ...

Tweeting Trump injects White House into SEAL war crimes case  NavyTimes.comIn his message, the president nodded to the Fox News Network and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, a North Carolina Republican who has led the fight alongside ...

The Kids 'Left Behind' By New York's Raise the Age Law  Crime ReportIt started with a cell phone. Last summer, Jay (not her real name), a 16-year-old living in upstate New York, was convinced a woman had taken her mother's ...

Wife of Navy SEAL on trial for murder calls prosecution 'completely vile and corrupt'  ABC NewsThe wife of a former Navy SEAL, now on trial for the murder of a teenage member of ISIS while he served in Iraq in 2017, said she believes the government's ...

Navy SEAL arraigned on war crime charges  NavyTimes.comU.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter urged President Donald Trump to free Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, who faces a long list of war crimes ...

Bernie Sanders’s criminal justice reform plan, explained  Vox.comBernie Sanders is unique among Democratic presidential candidates as an early critic of mass incarceration. His criminal justice reform plan, released over the ...

Kidnapping suspect arrested after hours-long standoff with police in downtown L.A.  Los Angeles TimesA man suspected of kidnapping his girlfriend was taken into custody early Tuesday after a five-hour standoff with police in downtown Los Angeles, officials said.

Court records shed light on Trump Jr's tweet questioning if Duke alum Eugene Gu is a 'wife beater'  Duke ChronicleEx-wife was granted temporary domestic violence restraining order against Eugene Gu, records show.

Spain domestic violence: Trail of death shocks society  BBC NewsA man who allegedly killed his defence lawyer years after murdering his wife ends up killing himself.

Navy dismisses more SEAL war crimes cases, removes controversial prosecutor  NavyTimes.comIn another day of bold moves by Navy leaders seeking to revamp the sea *service's* criminal justice system, officials dismissed a war crimes case dogging four ...

Roger Stone's Arrest Was Appropriate, Not Heavy-Handed  LawfareA Lawfare post from Friday—“Get Me Roger Stone”—well and thoroughly explained the most recent indictment from the Mueller team. The authors also ...

Navy judge won't dismiss SEAL war crimes case but sanctions prosecutors  NavyTimes.comSpecial Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher is still going to trial on war crimes charges in 10 days but the judge overseeing his court-martial ...

A Jekyll and Hyde portrait emerges of the SEAL accused of murdering an Islamic State prisoner  NavyTimes.comGallagher, a veteran of eight overseas and combat deployments, is facing 14 criminal counts, including premeditated murder for allegedly stabbing to death an ...

Navy SEALs Reported Their Chief For War Crimes. They Were Told It Could Threaten Their Careers  WBURNavy SEALs turned in their leader for war crimes. He faces murder charges. We go inside the secret culture of America's elite warriors.

Police accused of ‘systemic failure’ to protect victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence  The IndependentPolice forces are failing to protect victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence by not using existing powers to tackle domestic violence, rape, harassment and ...

Psychological domestic abuse becomes crime in Scotland under ‘groundbreaking’ new law  The IndependentA “groundbreaking” new law has come into effect in Scotland that makes psychological domestic abuse and controlling behaviour a crime. The Scottish ...

Authorities review video that allegedly shows kidnapping suspect rapping about killing and burying a woman  Los Angeles TimesAuthorities are reviewing video appearing to show a man suspected of kidnapping his girlfriend in Monrovia rapping about killing and burying a woman and ...

'Confirmation Bias' Called a Key Reason for Wrongful Convictions  Crime ReportDetectives investigating the murder of Dorka Lisker, a 66-year-old woman found stabbed in her Sherman Oaks, Ca., home in 1983, were convinced they had an ...

Prosecutors: SEAL war crimes suspect got death threat  NavyTimes.comA federal agent is probing a death threat mailed to Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, the SEAL accused of committing a string of war ...

Prosecutors celebrate victory after ruling in Gallagher war crimes case  NavyTimes.comA Navy judge ruled that evidence from Gallagher's seized cell phones can be used in court.

SEAL war crimes trial begins  NavyTimes.comSAN DIEGO — A decorated Navy SEAL stabbed to death a wounded and captive teenage Islamic State fighter in Iraq and then bragged about it, a military ...

Call for inquiry into abusive parents' access to children  BBC NewsFour children have been killed since 2014 by a parent given access to them by a court.

New legal bombshells explode on two Navy SEAL war crimes cases  NavyTimes.comTwo SEALs offer up damaging testimony against a chief special warfare operator accused of war crimes -- and suggest the command did not initially investigate ...

Panel weighs fate of SEAL accused of war crimes  NavyTimes.comSAN DIEGO — A Navy SEAL murdered a wounded war prisoner in Iraq in 2017 and the proof is his own words, his own photos and the testimony of his fellow ...

New Dallas County DA Supports Helping People Remove Criminal Records  NBC 5 Dallas-Fort WorthNewly appointed Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson Monday endorsed a plan to help people escape from criminal histories to get jobs.

Lead Navy prosecutor in SEAL war crime case out over email spying  NavyTimes.comThe lead Navy prosecutor in the war crimes case against a decorated Navy SEAL has been removed from the case by the judge for spying on defense teams ...

SEAL's lawyer wants prosecutor, judge booted off war crimes case  NavyTimes.comA lawyer for a Navy SEAL accused of murder wants military prosecutors and a judge removed from the case for their roles in snooping on emails sent to the ...

house-passes-legislation-to-expand-record-sealing  Illinois PolicyReforms such as record sealing expansion make it likelier that ex-offenders will be able to find work – and stop cycling in and out of prison. That means they and ...

A Growing Chorus of Big City Prosecutors Say No to Marijuana Convictions  The New York TimesMarlyn Mosby, Baltimore's top prosecutor, says she will no longer prosecute marijuana possession cases and will vacate thousands of convictions. The police ...

B.J. Penn issued restraining order; estranged partner alleges years of physical, sexual abuse  USA TODAYB.J. Penn's estranged partner, Shealen Uaiwa, alleges he verbally abused and menaced her, threatened to kill her family and sexually abused her.

Domestic abuse bill condemned for ignoring ‘gendered nature’ of violence amid austerity cuts  The IndependentThe government's new domestic abuse bill has been roundly condemned by campaigners for not recognising the “gendered nature” of domestic violence and ...

Before she handled SEAL war crimes cases, one-star was tied to 'Fat Leonard'  NavyTimes.comTwo years before Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson withdrew a pair of SEAL war crimes cases from Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, the one-star was ...

Charged with war crimes and stuck in the brig, a Navy SEAL vows to fight on  NavyTimes.comCharged earlier this month with multiple war crimes in connection with the 2017 stabbing death of a detainee in Iraq, Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward ...

Berlin Sun Files Motion to Unseal Arrest Records in Sen. Woodburn Case  indepthnh.orgSen. Woodburn's arrest has stirred controversy over whether the names of alleged domestic violence victims should be confidential.

Former Green Beret sentenced to 10 years in domestic abuse court-martial  ArmyTimes.comA 7th Special Forces Group officer was sentenced to 10 years confinement and dismissal from the Army following a conviction on five counts of assault and two ...

Ward 6 primary election will have Kirby back on ballot, other candidate speaks to court cases  CapitalGazette.comThe Ward 6 special election's primary Tuesday will have an unexpected candidate on the ballot challenging Yiannes Kacoyanni, who had several court cases ...

Motion filed to dismiss lead prosecutor and possibly judge in SEAL war crime trial  NavyTimes.comDefense attorneys for a high-profile court-martial of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes filed a motion to dismiss the lead prosecutor and possibly relieve the ...

Before taking office, Sheriff Villanueva pushed to rehire deputy accused of domestic violence  Los Angeles TimesL.A. County Sheriff Villanueva moved to rehire deputy accused of abusing woman before taking office and long before internal panel backed plan.

How Police and Anti-Crime Measures Reinforce Segregation  GoverningCities' efforts to get tough on crime can make it harder for low-income residents to find good jobs and housing.