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California State Prisoner’s Habeas Case Gets to Supreme Court but Falls Short
Antonio Hinojosa, serving a 16-year sentence in California’s prison system, was deemed a “validated” gang member by prison officials, effectively stripping him of future good-time credits and extending the length of his sentence. He filed a pro se petition for habeas relief, was denied at the state court level …
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More from this issue:
- Incarceration, Justice and the Planet: How the Fight Against Toxic Prisons May Shape the Future of Environmentalism, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- U.S. Prisons Filled with America’s Mentally Ill, by Derek Gilna
- $8,000 Settlement for Medical Maltreatment by BOP; Court Finds Experts Not Required, by Derek Gilna
- Three California Jail Guards Charged in “Fight Club” Case
- No Place for Old Men
- California: City Council Hears Proposal to Repurpose Empty Prison as Pot Farm
- San Bernardino County Jail Named in Federal Lawsuit, by Christopher Zoukis
- Illinois Prisoner Wins $125,000 Civil Rights Jury Verdict, by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Denial of Former Prison Guard’s Marriage to Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
- Bail Bond Payment Plans Face Scrutiny, Criticism in New Jersey, by Joe Watson
- Private Prison Firms Reap Large Profits from Immigration Detention, by Gary Hunter
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Illinois Prisoner’s § 1983 Action, by Derek Gilna
- Crime, Incarceration Rates Decline in New York City, by Mark Wilson
- Tenth Circuit Affirms Murder Conviction Called into Question by New DNA Evidence, by Derek Gilna
- Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Prisoner Has Right to Grow “Fist-Length” Beard
- UK Prisoner Pen Pal Program Relieves Feelings of Isolation, by Derek Gilna
- Another WA DOC Asbestos Abatement Program Shut Down; Prison Officials Fined, by Mark Wilson
- Prisoners Protest Solitary Confinement at Illinois Facility, by Joe Watson
- Former Pennsylvania Prison Guard and Prisoner Charged with Child Sex Trafficking, by David Reutter
- Exonerees Fulfill Dreams, Help Other Prisoners Overcome Wrongful Convictions, by David Reutter
- Florida: Drug Arrest Costs Former Prison Official Retirement Benefits
- New York Court of Claims Awards $1.75 Million to Prisoner’s Estate, by Derek Gilna
- Female Prisoners in United Kingdom Make Designer Bags, by Derek Gilna
- Washington DOC Ends Marijuana Testing for Parolees, by Christopher Zoukis
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity Defense by Guards in Wrongful Death Suit, by Derek Gilna
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Finds DOC Violated RLUIPA, Prior Settlement Agreement, by Derek Gilna
- Former Wisconsin Corrections Secretary Fired
- Study of Incarceration from 1999 to 2014 Shows Modest Decline in Prison Populations, by Derek Gilna
- California Federal Court Rules Early Release Program Cannot be Restricted to Women, by Derek Gilna
- Former Georgia Judge Faces Criminal Charges
- Troubled North Dakota Jail to be Reviewed by Feds
- Increasing Number of Jails, Prisons Using Full-body Digital Scanners, by Matthew Clarke
- Mississippi Town Ordered to Abandon “Secured Bail” Arrest Bond System
- Problems with California’s New Medical Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Newspaper Ban at Cook County Jail Violates First Amendment, by Derek Gilna
- California’s Broken Death Penalty System, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoner’s Deliberate Indifference Suit Over Tooth Abscess Reinstated by Seventh Circuit, by Derek Gilna
- Benefits of Allowing Prisoners to Raise Babies Born in Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Wrongful Death Suit Against Illinois Jail Survives Summary Judgment , by Derek Gilna
- Special Supervised Release Conditions Require Sufficient Findings
- “Scared Straight” Programs are Counterproductive, by Derek Gilna
- Custodial Interrogation of Parolee Requires Miranda Warnings
- A Prison Telecom in Sheep’s Clothing, by Carrie Wilkinson
- Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner Commits Suicide
- Lifesaving Overdose Treatment Slowly Becoming Available to Released Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- California State Prisoner’s Habeas Case Gets to Supreme Court but Falls Short, by Derek Gilna
- Company Owes Nevada Prison Industries $428,000, by Bob Sloan
- Advocates Leery of Cell Phones Given to Undocumented Immigrants, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Department of Education Offers Second Chance Pell Pilot Program, by Christopher Zoukis
- U.S. Supreme Court Holds Prior ACCA Ruling Retroactive, by Derek Gilna
- UK Supreme Court Rules Against Unlawful Use of Solitary Confinement, by Christopher Zoukis
- Penal Servitude: A Reminder about the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment Exclusion Clause
- Colombia: At Least 100 Dismembered Bodies Found in Prison Sewers
- Louisiana Parish Saddled With Large Jail, Large Costs , by Matthew Clarke
- Disputed PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Issues Properly Resolved in Bench Trial
- Music Publishers Sue Companies Providing Mixtapes for Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from Derek Gilna:
- Federal Judge in Louisiana Issues Sweeping Opinion Finding Numerous Eighth Amendment, ADA and RA Violations at Angola, April 1, 2022
- Human Rights Defense Center Prevails in Censorship Lawsuit Against Napa County Jail, California, Sept. 1, 2021
- California State Auditor’s Report Faults Counties for Waste and Poor Oversight of State Funds Used in “Public Safety Realignment”, Sept. 1, 2021
- The Fight Over Cellphones in Prisons Rages On, Sept. 1, 2021
- District Court Extends Armstrong Order to Five Additional California Prisons, Sept. 1, 2021
- HRDC Settles Censorship Lawsuit with Johnson County, Kansas Jail for $50,000 and Policy Changes, Aug. 1, 2021
- Virginia Prosecutors to Dismiss 400 Drug Convictions Tied to Disgraced Cop, July 15, 2021
- Discredited New York Police Detective’s False Testimony Causes the Dismissal of Close to 100 Drug Convictions, June 15, 2021
- D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences Firearms Examination Unit Under Fire, April 15, 2021
- Mississippi Joins Illinois and Few Other States Prioritizing Vaccination of State Prisoners to Slow Spread of COVID-19, April 1, 2021
More from these topics:
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026. Limitations, Habeas Corpus, AEDPA, Appealable Issues/Orders, Failure to Address/Advise Defendant.
- SCOTUS Sides with Federal Prisoner in Habeas Review Case, March 1, 2026. Habeas Corpus, AEDPA, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Predicate Acts/Offenses.
- SCOTUS Announces Federal Prisoners May Seek Certiorari Review of Authorization Denials Under § 2255(h) and Are Not Subject to § 2244(b)(1)’s Bar on Previously Presented Claims, Feb. 1, 2026. Habeas Corpus, AEDPA, Appealable Issues/Orders, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- Last of 16 Sentenced in California Prison Aryan Brotherhood Case, As Lawyer Learns He Was Targeted in Murder Plot, Jan. 1, 2026. Snitch Jacketing, Prison Gangs, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, Attorney/Client, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- California Court of Appeal: Trial Courts Have Inherent Authority to Correct Unauthorized Sentences at Any Time Without Habeas Petition, Jan. 1, 2026. Habeas Corpus, Possession or Use of Firearms, Sentences - Authorized, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Effect of Vacatur.
- First Circuit Announces Modification of Juvenile’s Life-Without-Parole Sentence to Parole-Eligible Life Term Constitutes “New Judgment” Under AEDPA, Exempting Second-in-Time Habeas Petition From Gatekeeping Requirements, Jan. 1, 2026. Parole, Habeas Corpus, Life without Parole (LWOP), AEDPA, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Supreme Court of Maryland Announces Division of Correction Must Immediately Apply Time-Served Credit Against Valid Sentences When Convictions Are Vacated and May Not Toll Execution Pending Reprosecution; New Sentences Arising From New Convictions Take, Jan. 1, 2026. Habeas Corpus, Overdetention, Effect of Vacatur, Credits, Concurrent and Consecutive Sentences.
- Alabama Supreme Court Denies DOC’s Improper Venue Objection, Jan. 1, 2026. Defenses, Good Time, Habeas Corpus, Failure to Object, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- DOJ Leaves Louisiana Over-Detention Suit on Life Support, Two Others Granted Class-Action Status, Dec. 1, 2025. Class Certification, Habeas Corpus, Overdetention, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Unlawful Detention.
- Maine Superior Court Order to Reform Public Defender System Paused on Appeal, Dec. 1, 2025. Indigent Defense, Injunctions, Habeas Corpus, Sixth Amendment, Counsel - Constructive denial of.

