Legal Commentary

Supreme Court Restricts More Rights

By Jeralyn

The Supreme Court issued opinions and orders today. Among them:

• Ruled that a man wrongly convicted and sent to prison for 24 years cannot sue the former Los Angeles district attorney and his chief deputy for violating his civil rights. The court said unanimously that decisions of supervising prosecutors, like the actions of prosecutors at trial, are shielded from civil lawsuits.

• Ruled that police officers have leeway to frisk a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation even if nothing indicates the passenger has committed a crime or is about to do so.

Among the cases it agreed to hear: [More...]

• * Agreed to clarify how long a suspected criminal's request for a lawyer during police interrogation should be valid. The court will hear the state of Maryland's appeal of a decision throwing out child molester Michael Shatzer's confession. Shatzer asked for a lawyer almost three years before admitting to the abuse.

• Agreed to decide whether a judge's order to a litigant to turn over material claimed to be covered by attorney-client privilege can be immediately appealed to a higher court.

• Agreed to decide whether there was enough evidence to convict a man of sexual assault. Prosecutors say the appeals court used new evidence, discounted old evidence and resolved legal questions in light most favorable to the suspect.

ScotusBlog has more and links to the orders and opinions.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 26, 2009 (boomark / email).