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The Supreme Court of the United States strikes down part of FLORIDA’s death penalty law, saying it violates the constitutional rights of criminal defendants by allowing judges to find aggravating factors that determine whether a defendant is eligible for execution, power that rightfully belong...

Crime & Punishment in NM The NEW MEXICO House approves HB 56, a bill that would add the crimes of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, first-degree child abuse and aggravated burglary to those which would qualify offenders for a mandatory life sentence under the Grand Canyon State’s so...

Crime In VT The VERMONT Senate approves SB 241, which would make the Green Mountain State the first to legislatively legalize the sale and possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use. The measure, which would allow residents 21 and older to buy or possess up to a half ounce of marijuana...

Crime In FL FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott (R) signs HB 7101, which requires that at least 10 out of 12 jurors recommend the death penalty in order for a capital punishment sentence to be carried out. The law still leaves a final decision on sentencing to judges (UPI). Crime In AZ The ARIZONA Senate...

Crime in KY The KENTUCKY House unanimously endorses SB 63, which would require Bluegrass State law enforcement agencies to develop policies for handling DNA evidence from rape kits. The bill, which also sets timelines for submitting rape kits to the state police crime lab for review, moves to Gov...

Crime In FL A FLORIDA judge rules the Sunshine State’s death penalty law is unconstitutional because it does not require jurors to reach a unanimous decision on an execution sentence. The state’s current system requires 10 of 12 jurors to advocate for execution. Supporters of the law are...

Crime In Florida The FLORIDA Supreme Court rules that death penalty verdicts must be unanimous. The ruling strikes down a Sunshine State law that allowed for capital punishment verdicts when just 10 of 12 jurors agree. It is yet to be determined how or if the ruling will impact the 386 people currently...

Nevada Gov Vetoes AB303 & AB259 Citing his belief that the bill infringed upon executive branch authority, NEVADA Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) vetoes AB 303 , which would have barred the Silver State from utilizing private prisons (LAS VEGAS SUN). Also in NEVADA , Gov. Sandoval vetoes AB 259 - which...

Crime In Florida A FLORIDA court rules that an expansion of the Sunshine State’s “stand your ground” law is unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch said lawmakers overstepped their authority in requiring prosecutors to disprove a defendant’s self-defense claim at a pre...

Crime In Florida Corrections officials in FLORIDA agree to settle a lawsuit that accused the Sunshine State of discriminating against deaf and disabled prisoners. Tenets in the resolution include the state agreeing to provide sign-language interpreters for deaf prisoners and to remove architectural...

Crime In Florida A FLORIDA court rules that lawmakers overstepped their authority when they endorsed legislation broadening the Sunshine State’s “stand your ground” law that allows residents to use lethal force in self-defense. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alan Fine ruled that only the...

California will have the highest cybercrime losses of any state this year, according to analysis of data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Insurance Information Institute by Website Builder Expert. The website development adviser estimates that total cybercrime losses by individuals in...

In the third and final of our annual three-part series looking ahead to the coming legislative year, SNCJ Senior Advisor Lou Cannon takes a look at some of the challenges and opportunities that await lawmakers in 2019. This is also our final issue of 2018, so from all of us to all of you, have...

The impending California Consumer Privacy Act and other state data privacy laws have done more than motivate companies to rethink how they manage consumer data; it also has many organizations thinking more than ever about how they manage their cyber insurance coverage. Once considered a niche product...