Criminal Defense Victories in the Federal Circuits

Description

Criminal Defense Victories in the Federal Circuits is not your average, run-of-the-mill case digest. This collection of almost 200 case summaries, culled from all 11 Circuits and the D.C. Circuit, is as entertaining as it is informative. Author Matthew G. Kaiser explains the law and the rationale underlying the courts’ decisions in a narrative style that is smart, thoughtful, witty, and highly readable. Here’s a taste of what you’ll find in Criminal Defense Victories in the Federal Circuits:

Judge Posner, Heraclitus, and the Chicago Mob

United States v. Schiro, 679 F.3d 521 (7th Cir. 2012)

Federal prosecutors love conspiracies more than Oliver Stone. Prove an agreement between A and B to further an illegal end, and you can bring in all sorts of stuff against A that she didn’t actually do (B did). And you only have to prove a constructive agreement—not an actual one…

Why the Government Has to Prove They Don’t Make Computers in Iowa

United States v. Johnson, 652 F.3d 918 (8th Cir. 2011)

Rarely has conduct at a hockey game in Iowa exposed such an interesting constitutional feature of federal criminal law…

The Fourth Circuit Reverses a Life Sentence Based on a Death From a Bank Robbery Gone Bad

United States v. Whitfield, 695 F.3d 288 (4th Cir. 2012)

It’s exceptionally rare for the Fourth Circuit to reverse a life sentence for someone who caused another person to die in the course of a botched bank robbery. And when the panel that heard the appeal has both Judges Wilkinson and Niemeyer—whoa, Nelly, that’s one whopper of a government error…

The Tenth Circuit Offers a Recent History of Fake Drug Checkpoints and the Fourth Amendment

United States v. Neff, 681 F.3d 1134 (10th Cir. 2012)

No one likes a liar. This is true even when the police do the lying…

The DC Circuit Vacates a Restitution Order in a Criminal Copyright Case—Or, Making Money Off Pirated Adobe Software Doesn’t Necessarily Hurt Adobe as Much as It Helps the Person Making the Money

United States v. Fair, 699 F.3d 508 (D.C. Cir. 2012)

Gregory Fair was an internet entrepreneur. Of sorts…

Criminal Defense Victories in the Federal Circuits:

• Covers a broad range of topics, from Evidence & Trials to Federal Sentencing to Searches & Seizures and Tax Offenses.
• Demonstrates the many ways a federal criminal defendant can win: The indictment may be dismissed; the case may be remanded for a new trial or resentencing; a conviction may be reversed. A victory may be based on substantive or procedural grounds; judicial error; juror misconduct; or prosecutorial overreaching.
• Gives detailed attention to the facts of each case, as well as the court’s legal analysis, so that you can apply the same winning strategy to your own cases with similar facts.
• Celebrates the beauty of a well-written opinion (and the sweet sorrow of a well-reasoned dissent).
• Highlights resourceful and zealous defense lawyering, with examples of techniques you can apply in your practice.