Legal news covering major trials, court decisions, federal courts, appellate rulings, and notable cases in the American judicial system.
The 9th Circuit ruled that soliciting murder via a hit man is not categorically a 'crime of violence,' vacating two convictions against James Henrikson for contract killings in North Dakota. The decision conflicts with a 4th Circuit ruling that reached the opposite conclusion.
The US government submitted the first application to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court on July 15, seeking to remove an unidentified individual. Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen held a hearing on July 16 and expressed concerns about how the conduct fits statutory criteria. The court, created in 1996, had never received an application in 30 years.
The UK's Crown Prosecution Service has brought new charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate, including rape and human trafficking, and is seeking their extradition after US Marshals arrested them in Miami on July 18. The Tates, who deny the allegations, also face proceedings in Romania and a civil trial in the UK.
The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned Pat King's acquittal on three intimidation counts, ordering a new sentencing hearing. The court called the 2022 convoy a coordinated attack on Ottawa residents.
Nancy Lemus filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, alleging deputies mishandled a live grenade that killed her husband and two others in July 2025. The suit claims a commander took unauthorized photos of the scene.
A federal appeals court ruled the 28-year sentence for Ahmed Abu Khatallah, convicted in the 2012 Benghazi attacks, is too lenient and ordered resentencing. Khatallah was captured in 2014 and convicted in 2017, but acquitted of murder.
Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has lodged an appeal against his 18 convictions for child sex offences, including one count of rape. The appeal was filed on Friday with the Court of Appeal in Belfast, seeking to have all guilty verdicts set aside. Donaldson remains in Maghaberry Prison awaiting sentencing.
Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser ordered a new trial for Daniel Jolivet, citing reasonable grounds of a miscarriage of justice. Jolivet, 69, was convicted in 1994 of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder for a 1992 shooting in Brossard, Quebec. The Quebec Crown prosecutor's office will analyze the evidence to determine if a new trial is in the public interest.
A judge declared a mistrial on Frank Stronach's sexual-assault conviction in a surprise ruling ahead of his September sentencing. The defense presented emails from the complainant's civil lawyer that allegedly contradicted trial testimony. Stronach, founder of Magna International, faces 18 charges involving 12 complainants from the 1970s to 1990s.
A Seoul court rejected arrest warrants for former Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung and ex-official Jeon Moo-gon over their alleged roles in President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law declaration. The court found insufficient evidence of flight risk or evidence destruction.