Utah Bill Proposes Stricter Sentencing for Minor Offenses, Sparking Deportation Concerns

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — In a move poised to reverse a three-year-old legislation, Utah lawmakers are contemplating a bill that would streamline the deportation process for undocumented immigrants convicted of low-level crimes. The proposed change targets a 2019 law that aimed to protect noncitizens from deportation after being convicted of a misdemeanor by reducing the maximum sentence for a class A misdemeanor from 365 to 364 days. Under federal law, any undocumented immigrant receiving a sentence of at least one year can trigger deportation proceedings. The 2019 modification to the Utah criminal code was … Read more

Motorcyclist Engulfed in Flames Sues Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Citing Excessive Force for Minor Offenses

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Following a high-speed pursuit in February 2022 that resulted in a motorcyclist being severely burned, a lawsuit has been filed against the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. The lawsuit highlights allegations of an institutional culture that encouraged harsh and forceful law enforcement tactics even for minor violations. The incident, which received widespread attention, involved Jean Barreto, a motorcyclist who was engulfed in flames after a deputy used a taser on him while he was soaked in gasoline at a gas station. The shocking moment occurred amid deputies’ response to a report of … Read more

Illinois Man Gets 40-Year Sentence for Multiple Firearm Offenses Amid Tightened Bail Laws

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. – A local court has handed down a 40-year prison sentence to 31-year-old Carnell Wesson after he was found guilty in two separate cases involving firearms. The decision, pronounced by a Lake County judge, culminates a series of legal proceedings triggered by multiple arrests over the past two years. In the first of these cases, officers from the Zion Police Department apprehended Wesson in March 2022. At that time, he was a passenger in a vehicle where investigators found two firearms. He faced charges of being an armed habitual criminal and was … Read more

Supreme Court Urged to Reassess Constitutionality of Jury-Trial Exception for Petty Offenses in Landmark Case

Washington, D.C. – The New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group, together with the Stanford Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, filed a petition on Dec. 13, 2024, for the Supreme Court to consider a case that may realign constitutional interpretation concerning jury trials for petty offenses. The case, known as David Lesh v. United States, challenges a long-standing precedent that denies jury trials to individuals charged with lesser offenses in direct contradiction to the Constitution’s clear text on this right. David Lesh, an entrepreneur and experienced skier who founded the outdoor … Read more