Punch and Jurists

U.S. v. Farmer, No. 07-2729-cr (2nd Cir.) (583 F.3d 131) (October 8, 2009) (Judge Dennis G. Jacobs) by Defendant's murder conviction as to one victim is affirmed where defendant was denied due process by the prosecutors' gratuitous exploitation of his prejudicial nickname, "Murder," but this conduct did not prejudice defendant …

U.S. v. Lawson, No. 04-3067 (D.C. Cir.) (410 F.3d 735) (June 10, 2005) (Judge John G. Roberts) by The defendant in this case was convicted at trial of aggravated bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence; and he appealed from several rulings of the district court …

U.S. v. Jaeger, No. 02-00550 (D.Hawai'I) (298 F.Supp.2d 1003) (April 4, 2003) (Judge Alan Cooke Kay) by This case is noted principally for its discussion of the law on the topic of whether the Government may offer into evidence mug shots of the defendant; most courts have held that it …

Wray v. Johnson, No. 98-2680 (2nd Cir.) (202 F.3d 515) (February 2, 2000) (Judge Amalya Lyle Kearse) by Here the Second Circuit held that the admission of highly suspect and unreliable lineup identification evidence (that was later recanted by the victim of a robbery himself) violated the petitioner's dur process …

U.S. v. Wiseman, No. 97-2301 (10th Cir.) (172 F.3d 1196) (April 5, 1999) (Judge William J. Jr. Holloway) by This appeal, involving a Federal prosecution under the Hobbs Act (18 U.S.C. § 1951) of the defendant for a series of bank robberies in New Mexico, raised a number of issues, …

U.S. v. Funches, No. 94-1419 (7th Cir.) (84 F.3d 249) (May 20, 1996) (Judge Joel L. Flaum) by This police line-up case is noted because the Seventh Circuit ruled that a police line-up procedure was not so unduly suggestive as to render the witness' identification inadmissible even though the defendant …

U.S. v. Brown, No. 94-50823 (5th Cir.) (71 F.3d 1158) (December 21, 1995) (Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham) by This is one of the rare cases in which a conviction is overturned because of the improper use of "other crimes" evidence under Rule 404(b) of the Fed.R.Evid. In cross-examining a defense …

U.S. v. Sanchez, No. 93-2112 (10th Cir.) (24 F.3d 1259) (May 20, 1994) (Judge Monroe G. McKay) by In analyzing the question of whether a photo-array was impermissibly suggestive, the Court invoked the following inquiry: "When the constitutionality of a photo array is challenged, the due process clause requires a …