Joseph Tremaine Hicks, his lawyer said, “is going to be returned to something that he should have had on Nov. 27, 2001, when police encountered him, but he didn’t: the presumption of innocence.”
— Read on www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-wrongful-conviction-exoneration-police-misconduct-tremaine-hicks-20201216.html
Clearly, “Ole Miss” managers consider outing the political history of the Crim Justice system by its own faculty is anathema. Their excuses are shallow and dissembling and have a racist “ivory Tower” smell. Its a miracle that the Ole Miss Innocence Project even exists at the UM law school.
During a period of what University of Mississippi faculty are calling a time of increasing paranoia, a celebrated professor of history faces termination.
— Read on www.mississippifreepress.org/7518/um-fires-history-professor-who-criticizes-powerful-racist-donors-and-carceral-state/
From Africa. An excellent look. The author mentions bitemarks and a list of other misleading forensic opinions. Courts have problems with weak standards and poor understanding of robust scientific methods. Mentions the 2009 NAS Report which some crime labbers and bitemark dentists ridiculed. The NAS did quote some of my work with Profs Michael Saks and David Faigman in their popular Modern Scientific Evidence series.
Is the evidence used to convict criminals always based on sufficient facts or data? Leletu Tonisi from the Wits Justice Project examines some of the flaws in the system
— Read on mg.co.za/news/2020-12-14-forensic-science-the-danger-of-relying-on-a-single-piece-of-evidence/
This podcast is hosted by a very bright 9yo! She puts Sarah C through her paces. SC has a very important job at the NYIP.
Listen to this episode from Major Investigators on Spotify. In this episode, we have a special guest, Sarah Chu!! She is a Senior Advisor on Forensic Science Policy and has a lot to say about it! I hope you enjoy it!
— Read on open.spotify.com/episode/7EncxaYhfO0riiVb6RCNGw
From Aug 2020.
State Attorney’s Office identifies man wrongfully convicted of murder after 37 years. Office seeks prompt release of Robert DuBoise after newly discovered DNA proves his innocence – Office Of The State Attorney 13th Judicial Circuit Of Florida
— Read on www.sao13th.com/2020/08/state-attorney-office-identifies-man-wrongfully-convicted/
This is failure of legal discipline actions has been well researched in 2009 by the NorCal Innocence Project. Most ethics and moral turpitude complaints end up as “harmless error.” https://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/harmless_error_new_study_claims_prosecutorial_misconduct_rampant
This law prof says much the same. Public shaming won’t cut it.
Austin Sarat—Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty and William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence & Political Science at Amherst College—predicts that because the lawyer discipline process is broken, President Trump’s lawyers will get away with facilitating his anti-democratic misconduct. Professor Sarat notes that Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD) released a letter calling on bar authorities to investigate and punish members of Trump’s post-election legal team, but he points out that while LDAD can shame those members, it still lacks the ability itself to discipline or disbar.
— Read on verdict.justia.com/2020/12/11/trumps-lawyers-will-get-away-with-facilitating-his-anti-democratic-antics-and-they-know-it
290 samples tested. 1 error. Sound much better than the presumptive tests now in use. Or when no testing is done. It would prevent mistakes which have led to wrongful convictions. Like this one: https://www.thedailybeast.com/henry-lee-how-many-murder-cases-did-the-celebrity-forensic-scientist-botch
A quick and accurate way to distinguish human blood from animal blood can prove key in crash investigations.
Now a new technique can rapidly tell the difference between human blood and that of nearly a dozen animal species, all without needing to destroy the samples in question. Such research could one day help police confirm or deny the human origins of bloodstains found at possible crime scenes.
— Read on www.insidescience.org/news/new-forensic-technique-quickly-tells-human-blood-animal-blood
Scientists rock!! Classic cold case in California.
FBI backs amateur sleuths who appear to have deciphered a chilling message from the infamous 1960s killer.
— Read on www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1250948
Out of Parchman! Congrats to Eddie Lee and his indomitable first appellate attorney, Vanzetta Williams. My first bitemark appeal case from 1999. And kudos to the Innocence Project team.
Mississippi Innocence Project and Innocence Project Client Eddie Lee Howard’s Mississippi Capital Murder Conviction and Death Sentence Vacated
— Read on innocenceproject.org/mississippi-eddie-lee-howard-innocence-project-vacated-conviction/
This is a legitimate first start. Many other loci yet to be studied. This has potential for studying genetic disorders. Phenotyping from DNA is still junk.
Like it or not, the facial feature most influenced by your genes is your nose. Researchers investigate which genes are involved in sculpting the face.
— Read on theconversation.com/we-scanned-the-dna-of-8-000-people-to-see-how-facial-features-are-controlled-by-genes-151539
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