Exoneration Granted to Mr. Sheldon Thomas, Who Served 18 Years in Prison for a Murder He Did Not Commit
Mr. Sheldon Thomas was arrested in 2004 at the age of 17, convicted of murder and other counts in 2007, and served more than 18
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Estwick – Batson Step Three
Whether, under the proposed objective standard, the Batson court should make its pretext evaluation from the view of a “reasonable person” as to whether the juror’s
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Baque – Standard in Circumstantial Evidence Cases
People v. Baque Whether the Appellate Division should apply the “evidence excludes beyond a reasonable doubt every hypothesis of innocence” standard in circumstantial evidence cases.
Leave Granted in the Court of Appeals: People v. McDonald & People v. Corr – Date of “Initial” Registration for SORA
People v. McDonald & People v. Corr When an individual has an out-of-state sex offense and was registering in that state, but subsequently moves to
Leave Granted in the Court of Appeals: People v. Espinosa – Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
People v. Espinosa Whether defense counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge DNA evidence on Confrontation Clause grounds. Sam Feldman represents Mr. Espinosa
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Bohn – Sufficiency of Proof of Torture, Denial of Cause Challenges, & Expert Testimony
People v. Bohn What constitutes sufficient proof of the torture mens rea for first-degree murder. Whether cause challenges were properly denied when certain jurors defied
Leave Granted in the Court of Appeals: People v. Wright – Batson
People v. Wright Whether the trial court violated the right to a fair trial and equal protection when it ruled that the prosecution’s reasons for
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Brown – Subject to SORA When No Sexual Allegations
People v. Brown Whether People v. Knox, 12 N.Y.3d 60 (2009) can constitutionally require an individual who commits an armed robbery in the presence of
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Worley – SORA & Due Process
People v. Worley Whether a SORA hearing court violates the Correction Law and due process if it sua sponte orders an upward departure based on
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Jordan – Right to Present a Defense, Prosecutorial Misconduct, & Admissibility of DNA Evidence
People v. Jordan Whether Ms. Jordan was deprived of her right to present a defense when the trial court precluded evidence that she identified the
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Cuencas — Right to Counsel & Payton Issues
People v. Cuencas Whether police violated Mr. Cuencas’s right to counsel and to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by going to his residence
Leave Granted in Court of Appeals: People v. Rodriguez — Seizure Issue
People v. Rodriguez Whether a police stop of a bicycle is a seizure requiring reasonable suspicion. Hannah Kon represents Mr. Rodriguez
