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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.
State v. Daniel J. Rice, 2009AP1162, District IV, 4/1/2010
court of appeals decision (i-judge; not for publication); for Rice: Tracey A. Wood; BiC; Resp.; Reply
Search & Seizure – Denial of Motion to Suppress without Evidentiary Hearing
¶6 Regarding the applicability of [State v.] Garner [, 207 Wis. 2d 520, 558 N.W.2d 916 (Ct. App. 1996) to the present case, we find no published cases applying Garner’s modified Nelson test to a pretrial motion to suppress anything other than witness identification evidence.
Failure to Advise Guilty Plea Defendant of Deportation Consequence
Padilla v. Kentucky, USSC No. 08-651, 3/31/10
In sum, we have long recognized that the negotiation of a plea bargain is a critical phase of litigation for purposes of the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel. Hill , 474 U. S., at 57; see also Richardson , 397 U. S., at 770–771. The severity of deportation—“the equivalent of banishment or exile,” Delgadillo v.
Bridget A.N. v. Justin E.H., 2010AP13, District II, 3/31/2010
court of appeals decision (1-judge; not for publication)
Appellate Procedure – Contemporaneous Objection Rule
Waiver of issue on appeal where objections lodged at trial “were not specific enough to put the trial court on notice” of the objection posited on appeal; motion for mistrial was not contemporaneous with occurrence of error and therefore “came to late” to be raised on appeal.
State v. Trelijah A.M., 2009AP3070-FT, District II, 3/31/2010
court of appeals decision (1-judge; not for publication); for Trelijah: Shelley Fite, SPD, Madison Appellate
Delinquency –Lifted Stay, Secure Detention
Trial court’s lifting stay of 4-days’ secure detention “was based on a thorough consideration of the goals of the juvenile justice code, both at the time of disposition and at the time the stay was lifted.”
State ex rel. Tran v. Speech, 2009AP559-CR, District II, 3/31/2010
court of appeals decision; pro se; Resp. Br.
Appellate Procedure – Record Document not Included on Appeal
¶8 n.7:
To any extent that it is relevant to our analysis, we assume that the missing transcript of the March 23, 2009 hearing on the merits supports the circuit court’s ruling. See Fiumefreddo v. McLean, 174 Wis. 2d 10, 26-27, 496 N.W.2d 226 (Ct.
Child Enticement, § 948.07: “Secluded Place”
State v. Mitchell D. Pask, 2010 WI App 53; for Pask: Jefren E. Olsen, SPD, Madison Appellate; Resp. Br.; Reply Br.
¶1 … (W)hen there is evidence that a defendant has an intention to take a child to a place that is partially screened or hidden from view, a jury may find that it is with the purpose to take the child away from public safety.
Child Pornography: Knowing Possession – Viewing Digital Image on Computer
State v. Benjamin W. Mercer, 2010 WI App 47; prior history: Certification, 7/1/09, rejected 9/10/09; for Mercer: Steven P. Sager
A person can knowingly possess images of child pornography while viewing them on a computer, even though they aren’t stored on the hard drive.
¶29 Our impression of these cases is that courts are more concerned with how the defendants got to the website showing child pornography,
Appellate Procedure: Standard of Review: Government Informant – Documentary Evidence; Confessions, 6th Amendment: Jailhouse Snitch
State v. Carl A. Lewis, Jr., 2010 WI App 52; for Lewis: John T. Wasielewski; Resp. Br.; Reply Br.
Appellate Procedure – Standard of Review: Government Informant
¶16 Our discussion must begin, as it almost always does, with the standard of review. In deciding whether a person is a government informant or agent for purposes of this Sixth Amendment analysis, the determination regarding the relationship or understanding between the police and the informant is a factual determination.
Habeas Review: Jury Selection Process
Berghuis v. Smith, USSC No. 08-1402, 3/30/10
Defendants have Sixth Amendment right to impartial jury drawn from fair cross section of community. To establish prima facie violation of this “fair-cross-section,” requirement, a defendant must prove that: (1) a group qualifying as “distinctive” (2) is not fairly and reasonably represented in jury venires, and (3) “systematic exclusion” in the jury-selection process accounts for the underrepresentation. Various methods have been proposed to test underrepresentation,
State v. Lazorus Lidell, 2009AP1191-CR, District I, 3/30/2010
court of appeals decision (3-judge; not recommended for publication); for Lidell: Jeremy C. Perri, SPD, Milwaukee Appellate; BiC; Resp. Br.; Reply Br.
Ineffective Assistance
Failure to impeach complainant with various prior inconsistent statements either adequate strategy or non-prejudicial; failure to call witnesses proper strategy, where attorney interviewed them and determined “that their demeanor would not help the defense.”
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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.