On Point: Uncategorized

State v. Andre L. Thornton, 2018AP871-CR, 3/26/19, District 1 (not recommended for publication); case activity (including briefs)

A jury convicted Thornton of 1st degree reckless homicide, party to a crime. On appeal he argued that Lee, one of the State’s witnesses, had perjured himself 10 years earlier in an unrelated, federal case. Thornton requested a new trial based on this newly-discovered evidence.

State v. Jason Napiwocki, 2016AP1264-CR, 5/4/17, District 4 (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); case activity (including briefs)

The circuit court didn’t erroneously exercise its discretion when it issued a final restitution order that adopted the findings of fact and conclusions of law of the court commissioner who conducted the restitution hearing.

It’s been a quiet week for appellate decisions, so here are some links to sate your appetite for law-related reading:

How often does On Point say “this is a must see”? Not too often. (Last time was John Oliver’s show on public defenders.) So trust us. You do not want to miss seeing how Bryan Wilson, Texas Law Hawk, markets his criminal defense practice. Click here!

And now for a super fun ethics quiz. Suppose you’re writing a brief challenging a lower court decision. Does calling the appellate panel “three blind mice”

Judge who told public defender “I’ll beat your ass” is suspended without pay. Click here. 

Are you careful about what you put in your emails? If not, read A Supreme Court Justice’s Indecent Inbox and then you will be!

Be patient. Supreme court justices become more liberal with age. 🙂 Click here.

Judge reprimanded for requiring indigents to perform public service in order to get appointed counsel.

You heard about the Milwaukee County Courthouse selfie, right? So did everyone else in the blogosphere! Click here.

“Why Are Lawyers So Good at Sex?” here.  If you’re having a bad day, you will laugh at the really bad puns in this article.

Which SCOTUS opinions are Americans most familiar with? Click here. And, no, Gideon v. Wainwright did not make the top 10!

“Digital Expungement Generator Cleans Records by the Thousands.” Wow! We need one of these in Wisconsin.

While we’re on the subject of expungement, see “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Clearing Your Record” here by The Marshall Project.

Did you see Stephen Colbert’s interview with Justice Stephen Breyer? Click here to watch it.

For sure you saw John Oliver’s show on our public defender system.

The U.S. bail system has received a lot of press this week. Click here for the NYT’s “When Bail is out of reach, other costs mount” and here for the Marshall Project’s “No bail, less hope: The death of Kalief Browder.”

Those stories will make you cry. But John Oliver’s explanation of the American bail system will make you LOL! Click here. Rumor has it Milwaukee County judges are watching this video.

“Recommended Reading on Prosecutorial Misconduct.” Boy those DAs get away with a lot! Click here for more.

Are underpaid public defenders happier than their wealthy counterparts in private practice? This article says “yes.”

Check out UWLS Professor Cecilia Klingele’s new article on deterrence-based correctional programs here.

“Anatomy of a Contempt: Just keep telling the judge to f**k himself” here!

Waushara County v. F.E.K., 2014AP2987, District 4, 4/30/15 (one-judge decision; ineligible for publication); case activity

The evidence was sufficient to show F.E.K. was not competent to refuse medication or treatment because he received an appropriate explanation of the alternatives to medication and treatment.