Discovery
The California 5th District Court of Appeal held that the defense was entitled to discovery related to racial disparities in plea deals to voluntary manslaughter, finding that defense’s statistical evidence showing that Latine individuals in Kern County were more likely to be charged with murder and receive longer sentences than white individuals satisfied the “plausible…
The Pennsylvania Superior Court reversed a young person’s probation revocation, finding that the state’s failure to provide defense counsel with notice and discovery violated the young person’s due process rights. The court stated in relevant part: We recognize that “[d]ue process is a flexible concept which ‘varies with the particular situation.’” Bundy v. Wetzel, 646 Pa.…
A sample motion asking the Court to issue a subpoena duces tecum to the state youth department for material reports, documents, witness information, and video survelliance regarding an incident of physical restraint.
The New Jersey Supreme Court held the state is required to disclose all discovery in its possession to the child before waiving the child to adult court and offered the following language in support. “N.H. moved for full discovery before the waiver hearing, and the trial court granted the request. The court analogized the filing…
This amicus brief prepared by Children’s Law Center, Inc., the Office of the Ohio Public Defender, The Gault Center, and others argues that due process and fundamental fairness, pursuant to the 5th Amendment, the 14th Amendment and Ohio law, require the state to provide full discovery to a young person prior to a probable cause…