Eleventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Suit Alleging Retaliatory Attack by Guard by Brandon Sample By Brandon Sample On April 26, 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the dismissal of a failure to protect suit filed by a federal prisoner who claimed that he was attacked …
BOP Abused Its Discretion in Denying Prisoner Drug Treatment by Brandon Sample By Brandon Sample On June 5, 2007, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia granted a habeas corpus petition challenging the Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) refusal to allow a prisoner to enter BOP's Residential Drug …
Georgia: Child Support Contempt Findings Create Debtor’s Prisons by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Great Recession has put millions of Americans out of work, which has caused more people than usual to become delinquent on their child support obligations and other debts. Many courts, especially those in Georgia …
JFK v. Troup County, GA, Civil Action, Objection to Bill of Costs, 2011 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA NEWNAN DIVISION J.F.K. and M.C.K., as Next Friends, Parents and Natural Guardians of O.K.K., a Minor, Plaintiffs, v. THE TROUP COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT and ELIZABETH M. GADDY, …
Three Fulton County, Georgia Jail Guards Sentenced in Prisoner Abuse Investigation by Three guards from Georgia’s Fulton County Jail (FCJ) have been sentenced on federal charges related to an investigation into prisoner abuse at the jail. Two of the guards received prison time; the third received home confinement after assisting …
Eleventh Circuit Finds Disabled Prisoner in Imminent Danger for Filing Fee Purposes by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a Georgia federal district court’s injunction that prohibited a prisoner from submitting future filings, and reversed the lower court’s dismissal of the prisoner’s …
Georgia Life Sentence for Failure to Register is Unconstitutional by by Mark Wilson With one Justice “strongly dissenting,” the Georgia Supreme Court held that a mandatory life sentence for failing to register as a sex offender violates the proportionality clause for the United States Constitution. In 1996, Georgia first enacted …
Georgia Detainee's False Imprisonment Conviction Reversed Due to Lack of Evidence by The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed the false imprisonment conviction of three detainees because the evidence presented at their trial was insufficient to support their convictions. On November 5, 2006, Reheim Jaahad Shearin, Tyrone Caruthers, Jason Tyrone Dellemar …
Appeal for Summary Judgment Upheld for Qualified Immunity by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Georgia Federal District Court’s order granting dismissal of a lawsuit alleging use of excessive force on a prisoner. On January 28, 2007, Reginald Fennell was arrested for several misdemeanor charges. As he was …
Prosecutor Not Entitled to Immunity for Statements to Press by On November 17, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part judgment for a prosecutor, warden, and other prison staff member accused of various constitutional violations. Woodson Hart sued prosecutor Kenneth …
Georgia Eases Sex Offender Restrictions in Face of Federal Court Challenge by Laws that restrict where sex offenders can live have been popular in legislatures throughout the U.S. With much fanfare and hoopla, Georgia passed one of the nation’s toughest sex offender residency statutes on July 1, 2006. That law …
Georgia Sex Offender Registration Act Unconstitutionally Vague As Applied to Homeless Offenders Without a Route or Street Address by Georgia’s sex offender registration law is unconstitutionally vague as applied to homeless sex offenders, the Supreme Court of Georgia decided October 27, 2008. William Santos was charged with violating Georgia’s sex …
Bentivoglio Letter to AG re Andrew DeYoung execution, GA, CSA violation, 2011 SKADDEN. ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLP 1440 NEW YORK AVENUE, NW. F"IRM/AF"F"ILIATE OFFICES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005-2111 TEL: (202) 371 -7000 FAX: (202) 393-5760 www.skadden.com DIRECT DIAL (202) 371-7560 BOSTON CHICAGO HOUSTON LOS ANGELES NEW YORK PALO ALTO …
Study Finds Discriminatory Jury Selection in Southern States by Derek Gilna A study by the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit legal organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, has found widespread discrimination in jury selection in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. The discriminatory practices …
Georgia: Flurry of Judicial Resignations Highlights Secrecy Behind Investigations by David Reutter by David M. Reutter At least 21 Georgia judges have been disciplined by the state’s Judicial Qualifications Committee (JQC) or have resigned amid allegations of unethical conduct since April 2008. The high rate of action by the JQC …
Georgia Prisoners Strike for Wages, Better Medical Care and Food by by Naomi Spencer Prisoners at seven Georgia state prisons called a strike on December 9, 2010 to protest against unpaid labor practices, poor conditions and violations of basic human rights. Thousands of prisoners participated in the protest by refusing …
Audit Report Finds Georgia Sex Offender Registry Needs Complete Overhaul by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The federal Jacob Wetterling Act of 1994 imposed a duty on the states to establish sex offender registry programs, including life-long registration for offenders classified as sexually violent predators. In 1996, Megan’s Law …
Georgia Ends Contact Visits for Death Row Prisoners by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Three non-execution deaths on Georgia’s death row in as many months, including two suicides, resulted in a focus on conditions for condemned prisoners at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison. The response by prison officials …
Fraudsters Sentenced in Cornell Prison Construction Scheme by Brandon Sample A man who bilked almost $13 million from Cornell Corrections Corp. has been convicted of federal fraud and conspiracy charges, while two co-defendants pleaded guilty. In February 2010, Robert B. Surles was convicted by a federal jury in Atlanta, Georgia …