|
CHAIR’S MESSAGEgg
|
Robert M.A. Johnson
|
The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law is an international association closely aligned with our Section’s
interests. Originally created to
assist a number of countries in revising their criminal codes, the Society
continues to address common problems from an international
perspective. I found its conference
this year with 300 participants from 21 countries to be extraordinarily
informative and valuable.
Please join us at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. We look forward to seeing you at our Receptions, Committee and Council meetings, and our CLE programs. The CJS Council will consider a number of important policy matters
including the Standards Committee’s
Prosecutorial Investigation Standards.
Kudos
to the White Collar Crime Committee for the excellent program it
sponsored in Chicago on June 7, 2007: Staying on Track When Worlds
Collide: Practical Advice for Corporations Conducting Internal
Investigations and Responding to Government Inquiries. The 2.5 hour CLE drew over 150 participants and featured Carol Lam
as a speaker, who was introduced by Patrick Fitzgerald. The Section produced a pod cast (audio) of the program and has posted this along with conference materials on the Committee web site.
|
NEWS…
Section Newsletter (Spring 2007)
Committee Activity Reports
New Staff: Robert Snoddy is the Section’s
new Outreach Coordinator, handling all media-related matters, drafting the
Section quarterly communiqués to State and Local Bars and other criminal
justice organizations and expanding our outreach databases to better convey
the Section’s work and mission to outside entities.
Robert comes to us from within the
ABA having
served as a public affairs specialist in the Media Relations and
Communication Services division. He can be reached at snoddyr@staff.abanet.org.
UPCOMING EVENTSgg
SUPREME COURT CASES…
Uttecht, Superintendent,
Washington State Penitentiary v. Brown
A Washington jury sentenced respondent Brown
to death, and the state appellate courts affirmed. Subsequently, the Federal District Court
denied Brown’s habeas petition, but the Ninth Circuit reversed finding that
the state trial court had violated Brown’s Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment
Rights by excusing “Juror Z” for cause on the ground that he could not be
impartial in deciding whether to impose a death sentence. The Ninth
Circuit held for respondent and relied on its application of Witherspoon v. Illinois, 391 U. S. 510 and the cases based on
that ruling. The Supreme Court expressed deference to the trial judge’s
ability to observe a potential juror’s demeanor and qualifications. The
court went on to cite four relevant principles from Witherspoon and to
reverse the ninth circuit’s holding that both the state trial court and the
State Supreme Court were contrary to or an unreasonable application of
clearly established federal law. Held:… “the trial court acted well
within its discretion in granting the state’s motion to excuse Juror Z.”
See other Supreme Court Case Updates
NEW PUBLICATIONS…
|
|
The State of Criminal Justice 2006
Authors from across the criminal justice field provide essays on topics
ranging from cybercrime to juvenile justice to DNA. This annual publication
examines and reports on the major issues, trends and significant changes in
the criminal justice system. As one of the cornerstones of the Section's
work, the publication serves as an invaluable resource for policy-makers,
academics, and students of the criminal justice system alike. The 2006
volume is considerably expanded from earlier annual volumes and is noted
for input and submission of chapters from the Section committees.
|
See other available Publications and Resources. See past E-News.
The American Bar Association
Criminal Justice Section
740 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20005
Phone: (202) 662-1500, Fax: (202) 662-1501
Email: crimjustice@abanet.org Web: www.abanet.org/crimjust
|
