- Fletcher v. State
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Supreme Court of Alaska (2023)
Justin T. Reed
In Fletcher v. State, 532 P.3d 286 (Alaska 2023), the supreme court held that Article I, Section 12 of the Alaska Constitution requires a sentencing court to affirmatively consider a juvenile offender’s youth before sentencing a juvenile to the functional equivalent of a life sentence without the possibility ...
- Martinez v. State
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2023)
Hannah Berg
In Martinez v. State, 550 P.3d 1131 (Alaska Ct. App. 2023), the court of appeals held that a lack of a translator in a criminal defendant’s native language does not automatically render involuntary a waiver of the right to testify. (Id. at 1133). Martinez was a criminal defendant ...
- Taylor v. State of Alaska
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2023)
Sarah Edwards
In Taylor v. State of Alaska, 536 P.3d 247 (Alaska Ct. App. 2023), the court of appeals held that defendants cannot raise a claim that they were denied the right to self-representation for the first time on a direct appeal from a guilty plea. (Id. at 252). Taylor ...
- Maxie v. State of Alaska
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2023)
Justin T. Reed
In Maxie v. State, 530 P.3d 380 (Alaska Ct. App. 2023) the Alaska Court of Appeals ruled that a jury instruction which fails to comport with judicial precedent is nevertheless insufficient to overturn a conviction where that error would not appreciably affect the resultant verdict. (Id. at ...
- Larson v. State
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2023)
Allyson Barkley
In Larson v. State, No. A-13731, 2023 WL 2783943 (Alaska Ct. App. Apr. 5, 2023), the court of appeals held Alvarez-Perdomo v. State did not create a new rule on admissibility of juror affidavits. (Id. at 1). Loren J. Larson Jr. was convicted of a double homicide in ...
- Perez v. State
CRIMINAL LAW / CRIMINAL PROCEDURECourt of Appeals of Alaska (2022)Joseph PerryIn Perez v. State, 521 P.3d 592 (Alaska Ct. App. 2022), the court of appeals held that a trial courthas an affirmative duty to act when it becomes clear that a criminal defendant has not been assignedan attorney, but that a defendant may consent to ...
- United States v. Spayd
CRIMINAL PROCEDUREUnited States District Court, District of Alaska (2022)Scott AndersonIn United States v. Spayd, 2022 WL 4220192 (D. Alaska Sept. 13, 2022), the district court heldthat an indictment sufficiently alleges an element of a crime when it applies the relevant mens rea(state of mind) requirement to the definition of the element. (Id. at *3). Prosecutors ...
- Lee v. State
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2022)
Sam MacDuffie
In Lee v. State, 507 P.3d 483 (Alaska Ct. App. 2022), as revised on reh’g (Apr. 25, 2022), the court of appeals held that (1) a witness’s lack of memory does not make him unavailable for purposes of the Confrontation Clause, and (2) voluntary felony guilty pleas made in military ...
- Wright v. State
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2022)
Joe Perry
In Wright v. State, 47 F.4th 954 (9th Cir. 2022), the Ninth Circuit held that an individual may not assert a conviction predicated on a previous conviction in another state as the basis for a habeas corpus petition for the original conviction. (Id. at 961). In ...
- Sackett v. State
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
Court of Appeals of Alaska (2022)
Flora Lipsky
In Sackett v. State, 518 P.3d 289 (Alaska Ct. App. 2022), the court of appeals held that the mere assignment of a public defense agency does not satisfy a defendant’s right to counsel. (Id. at 292). Following conviction and sentencing, criminal defendant Sackett filed a pro se motion ...
