Articles

7th Circuit denies appeal for habeas corpus relief

In a case presenting a “rare circumstance” that “few if any other federal prisoners face,” the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana did not err in denying habeas corpus relief to an Indiana man on Friday. The 7th Circuit did acknowledge, however, the appellant’s argument that his counsel was ineffective by not challenging whether his drug convictions were predicates would succeed today.

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7th Circuit upholds search warrant that contained false information

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the Northern Indiana District Court that a federal agent’s explanations were plausible and he was “at worst, negligent…” when he obtained a search warrant by telling a magistrate judge a controlled delivery of drugs would be made and then told the magistrate judge the illegal drugs had been recovered even though no drugs had ever been delivered or retrieved.

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50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans

Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Today, with the U.S. mired in a deadly opioid epidemic that did not abate during the coronavirus pandemic’s worst days, it is questionable whether anyone won the war. Yet the loser is clear: Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities.

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