Articles Posted in criminal behavior

An event sponsored by the American Bar Association, International Law Section.

July 2, 2025 12PM EDT.

This webinar will examine a significant gap in the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC): its inability to investigate and prosecute individuals who knowingly cause widespread or long-term environmental damage. The program will explore ongoing efforts by civil society to amend the Rome Statute to address this deficiency, including proposals to recognize ecocide as an international crime. Topics will include developments in international environmental criminal law, corporate and state liability, and the integration of ecocide into existing legal frameworks.

From Crimegrade.org

Crime Grade’s violent crime map highlights the safest areas in New Jersey in green, the most dangerous in red, and moderately safe areas in yellow. Crime rates on the map are weighted based on both the type and severity of the crime. For more information on how to interpret our crime maps, see : Interpreting the Crime Maps .

In 2024, New Jersey saw an overall decrease in crime, including the lowest number of shootings in state history for the second consecutive yearSpecifically, there was a 16% decrease in gunshot victims compared to 2023, with 778 victims in 2024. Additionally, auto thefts were down 11%. These figures indicate a positive trend in reducing violent crime in the state.

 

Spring 2025.

Letter from Hon. Gale Brewer:

Tens of thousands of people nationwide are victims of a scam every year—in 2024 alone, scams cost Americans $47 billion. As the New York Times reported,

These News Briefs and Decision Summaries are from  the  the New Jersey State Bar Association. They are an exclusive benefit of the Association in partnership with the New Jersey Law Journal. A subscription may be necessary to access the full text of some of the items listed:

NEWS BRIEFS:

The digital age has dramatically expanded how we connect, communicate, and share. Yet with these advances come new risks—especially for vulnerable individuals targeted through online platforms. One of the most alarming forms of harm emerging in this environment is cyber sexual misconduct, which encompasses a broad range of non-consensual, sexually inappropriate behaviors conducted via digital means.

As technology evolves faster than the law can keep up, cyber sexual misconduct presents pressing questions about privacy, consent, and accountability. Increasingly, these acts are being recognized not merely as ethical violations, but as criminal offenses requiring serious legal and societal responses.

What Is Cyber Sexual Misconduct?

Adopted August 2016; Revised Commentary 2017 and 2024.

FROM THE INTRODUCTION:

Persons with mental disorders are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Studies suggest that anywhere from 16 to 24% of people in jails and prisons have a serious mental illness.1 This rate is three to 12 times higher than the rate of serious mental disability in the community, 2 and at least three times higher than the population in psychiatric hospitals.3 It also represents a vast increase over the incarceration rate of people with mental disability 30 years ago, when the first edition of these Standards was promulgated.4 If mental disorder is defined more broadly, to include personality disorders, the percentages involved in the criminal system skyrocket to over 50%.

These News Briefs and Decision Summaries are from  the  the New Jersey State Bar Association. They are an exclusive benefit of the Association in partnership with the New Jersey Law Journal. A subscription may be necessary to access the full text of some of the items listed

NEWS BRIEFS:

Unprecedented Mobilization:’ Tidal Wave of Threats Gives Legal Departments Their Biggest Test Since COVID

In Presumed Guilty, Scott Turow revisits the world of legal drama, charting the transformation of his iconic protagonist, Rusty Sabich, from prosecutor to defense attorney in a rural setting. Touro University, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center professor Rodger D. Citron examines Turow’s latest legal thriller, exploring how the author’s storytelling has evolved while maintaining his signature blend of courtroom intrigue and legal realism. Citron argues that Presumed Guilty deepens Turow’s exploration of justice, race, and personal growth, presenting Rusty not just as an older character but as a more mature and introspective one:

Click here to read Professor Citron’s Notes on Scott Turow’s Presumed Guilty

Refeerence:

FROM THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION (ABA):

“The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released a formal opinion on March 5, 2025, that provides clarification on when a lawyer may divulge information when they are a victim of a crime by a client or prospective client.

Formal Opinion 515 states that “a lawyer who is the victim of a crime by a client or prospective client may disclose information relating to the representation to the appropriate authority in order to seek an investigation and potential prosecution of the alleged offender or other services, remedy or redress. To the extent that the information would otherwise be subject to the lawyer’s duty of confidentiality under Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6, the information is subject to an implicit exception to the Rule.”

In his essay, Do State Legislatures Have to Obey U.S. Supreme Court Decisions?  Amherst professor Austin Sarat discusses how several state legislatures, particularly Alabama, are passing laws allowing the death penalty for child rape despite a 2008 Supreme Court ruling, Kennedy v. Louisiana, that declared such punishment unconstitutional. Professor Sarat argues that this strategic legislative defiance represents a dangerous trend that threatens constitutional order, as lawmakers are deliberately passing unconstitutional laws hoping the current conservative-majority Supreme Court will overturn precedent, similar to the strategy that led to Roe v. Wade being overturned.

Reflecting on the urgency expressed by professor Sarat regarding this question, we have prepared our own report, titled Do State Legislatures Have to Obey U.S. Supreme Court Decisions?, An Overview, to provide an added frame of reference for considering the implications of professor Sarat’s posting. Our Report, which follows, is based on our search of related sources, including Deep Research, the advanced AI research application recently introduced by Open AI.

DO STATE LEGISLATURES HAVE TO OBEY U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS?, An Oveerview

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