Colorado Expands Its Domestic Violence Definition on August 12: Monitoring, Isolation, and Financial Control Now Count in Custody Cases
Colorado's HB26-1309 takes effect August 12, 2026, broadening what counts as domestic violence in separation and custody cases. Here is what actually changed, and why it lives in family court rather than the criminal code.
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The Fine Print That Waives Your Appeal Can Now Be Torn Up: In Hunter v. United States the Supreme Court Says a Plea Deal Can't Lock In a 'Miscarriage of Justice'
'They Catch Everybody': A New National Investigation Says Roadside Sobriety Tests Fail Sober Drivers, and Courts Are Listening
In Mississippi, a Gun Doesn't Have to Be Fired, or Even Used, to Send a 13-Year-Old to Adult Court
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Colorado Expands Its Domestic Violence Definition on August 12: Monitoring, Isolation, and Financial Control Now Count in Custody Cases
Colorado's HB26-1309 takes effect August 12, 2026, broadening what counts as domestic violence in separation and custody cases. Here is what actually changed, and why it lives in family court rather than the criminal code.
The Fine Print That Waives Your Appeal Can Now Be Torn Up: In Hunter v. United States the Supreme Court Says a Plea Deal Can't Lock In a 'Miscarriage of Justice'
On June 18, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that a federal plea deal's appeal waiver cannot be enforced when doing so would leave an egregious, system-discrediting error in place. Here is what the miscarriage-of-justice standard covers, what it still bars, and what it means for anyone who signed away their right to appeal.
'They Catch Everybody': A New National Investigation Says Roadside Sobriety Tests Fail Sober Drivers, and Courts Are Listening
A multi-year, 22-state investigation and a 2023 randomized trial reach the same uncomfortable conclusion: roadside sobriety tests are good enough to justify an arrest but too unreliable to prove impairment in court. Here is what the tests measure, why sober people fail, and how defense lawyers are fighting the results.
In Mississippi, a Gun Doesn't Have to Be Fired, or Even Used, to Send a 13-Year-Old to Adult Court
A new Mississippi law routes children as young as 13 directly into circuit court when a firearm is present during a violent crime. The weapon does not have to be fired or even used. Here is what SB 2710 changes and who it sweeps in.
Six Jurors, Not Twelve: The Supreme Court Just Agreed to Decide Whether Florida-Style Juries Are Unconstitutional
On June 15, 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to decide in Kian v. Florida whether a serious felony can be tried by a six-person jury, teeing up a challenge to a 56-year-old precedent. Here is what it means for pending trials, plea deals, and old convictions in the six states that still seat sub-12 juries.
The Sentencing Credit for Fixing Your Life Before Sentencing: The Commission Floated It, Then Left It Out of the November 1 Rules
A first-of-its-kind federal guideline would have rewarded documented rehabilitation before sentencing. The U.S. Sentencing Commission proposed Section 3E1.2 in December 2025, then declined to adopt it on April 16, 2026. Here is what it would have done, why it stalled, and what actually changed for white-collar defendants on November 1.
Pennsylvania Just Invented a New DUI Crime That Turns Your Old ARD Into a Prior Offense
A 2025 win for Pennsylvania DUI defendants lasted less than seven months. After the state Supreme Court ruled in Commonwealth v. Shifflett that a prior ARD acceptance could not be used to enhance a DUI sentence, lawmakers responded with Act 58 of 2025, creating a brand-new offense at 75 Pa.C.S. 3802(h) that charges a fresh DUI as a second offense if you completed ARD within the past 10 years.
The Hemp Gummy in Your Cabinet Becomes a Schedule I Drug on November 12: The Federal Ban That Recriminalizes Most of the Market
A hemp gummy that is legal today can become a Schedule I controlled substance on November 12, 2026. A one-year fuse lit by H.R. 5371 rewrites the federal definition of hemp and pushes delta-8, THCA flower, and most edibles back under the drug laws. Here is what changed, who is exposed, and what survives.