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On Point is a judicial analysis blog written by members of the Wisconsin State Public Defenders. It includes cases from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
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Jury – selection – “Batson” claim; prosecutor’s failure to provide neutral explanation for striking Native American juror
State v. Karen Lynn Snow, 2012AP2323-CR, District 4, 4/4/13; court of appeals decision (1-judge, not eligible for publication); case activity Applying the three-part, burden shifting test for Batson claims, see State v. Lamon, 2003 WI 78, ¶28, 262 Wis. 2d 747, 664 N.W.2d 607, the court of appeals concludes the circuit court erred in rejecting […]
Arrest – police officer acting outside his jurisdiction under § 66.0313(2)
State v. Michael E. Zinke, 2012AP2087-CR, District 4, 4/4/13; court of appeals decision (1-judge, ineligible for publication); case activity The stop and arrest of Zinke by a police officer well outside his jurisdiction was proper under a mutual aid statute, § 66.0313(2), even though the officer was “miles away” from his jurisdiction and initiated contact […]
Miranda custody; “private safety” exception to Miranda
State v. Corey J. Uhlenberg, 2013 WI App 59; case activity Miranda custody Uhlenberg was in “custody” during an interview at the police department, so the circuit court should have suppressed the statements Uhlenberg made during the interrogation after he requested an attorney: ¶11 Throughout its arguments, the State emphasizes the fact that the detective repeatedly […]
Traffic stop – reasonable suspicion; good-faith mistake of fact
State v. Donald D. Laufer, 2012AP915, District 2, 4/3/13; court of appeals decision (recommended for publication); case activity The officer’s erroneous reading of Laufer’s license plate, which caused the officer to wrongly believe that the plate might not be registered to the vehicle, nonetheless supported stop of the car under the good-faith rule, adopting the […]
Discretion of trial court — evidentiary decisions; mistrial motions
State v. Desmond Dejuan Laster, 2012AP1739-CR, District 1, 4/2/13; court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); case activity The trial court did not erroneously exercise its discretion in making two evidentiary rulings or in denying Laster’s motion for a mistrial. On the first evidentiary ruling, the court of appeals holds the trial court properly […]
Restitution for damage to stolen van that is later used to commit robberies
State v. Devante J. Lumpkins, 2012AP1670-CR, District 1, 4/2/13; court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); case activity Lumpkins is liable for restitution for damage to a stolen van he and two co-defendants (“The Jack Boys”) used to commit two armed robberies, even though Lumpkins was not charged with or convicted of the theft […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court: New fact-finding hearing before a jury is the proper remedy for erroneous grant of default judgment due to parent’s tardy appearance at second day of trial
Dane County DHS v. Mable K., 2013 WI 28, reversing court of appeals summary order; case activity ¶3 We conclude, and the circuit court has acknowledged, that it erroneously exercised its discretion when it entered a default judgment finding that grounds existed to terminate Mable K.’s parental rights after barring her attorney from offering additional […]
Privileges — Confidential informant, § 905.10(3)(b) — sufficiency of information to trigger in camera review
State v. Jessica A. Nellessen, 2013 WI App 46, petition for review granted 10/15/13; case activity Under the two-step procedure for determining whether a confidential informant’s identity should be disclosed, the court must first determine whether there is reason to believe that the informant may be able to give testimony “necessary to a fair determination of […]
OWI — conviction for “first” offense must be vacated where defendant has prior OWIs despite delay in moving to vacate conviction and even though priors were from another state
Clark County v. Rex A. Potts, 2012AP2001, District 4, 3/28/13; court of appeals decision (1-judge, ineligible for publication); case activity Potts’s 1996 conviction for OWI in violation of a county ordinance is void and must be vacated because defendant had prior convictions for operating while intoxicated—even though Potts did not move to vacate the judgment […]
Ineffective assistance of counsel — failure to present evidence, ineffective cross examination. Privileges — Confidential informant, § 905.10(3)(b); disclosure of informant
State v. Kendrick L. Lee, 2011AP2126-CR, District 4, 3/28/12; court of appeals decision (not recommended for publication); case activity Ineffective assistance of counsel — failure to present evidence, ineffective cross examination In a necessarily fact-intensive discussion that defies quick summary here, the court of appeals concludes Lee’s trial attorney was not ineffective for failing to […]
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On Point provides information (not legal advice) about important developments in the law. Please note that this information may not be up to date. Viewing this blog does not create an attorney-client relationship with the Wisconsin State Public Defender. Readers should consult an attorney for their legal needs.