state Case Commentaries

Reaffirmation That Guardianship Need Not Be Considered Once Statutory Grounds for Termination Are Met, and That the 15-of-22-Month Presumption Governs Best-Interest Analysis — Matter of P.M.L.O. (Mont. 2025)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Reaffirmation That Guardianship Need Not Be Considered Once Statutory Grounds for Termination Are Met, and That the 15-of-22-Month Presumption Governs Best-Interest Analysis — Matter of P.M.L.O....

Montana Supreme Court Bars Compelled Two‑Way Video Appearance After Valid Waiver; Successive Commitment Petitions Not Barred by Preclusion — Matter of T.W. (2025 MT 225)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Montana Supreme Court Bars Compelled Two‑Way Video Appearance After Valid Waiver; Successive Commitment Petitions Not Barred by Preclusion — Matter of T.W. (2025 MT 225) Introduction In Matter of...

Nonprecedential Affirmance of HRC Retaliation Dismissals: Rebutted Presumption and Harmless Procedural Error Under MAPA (Vaccaro v. Three Forks Area Ambulance Service)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Nonprecedential Affirmance of HRC Retaliation Dismissals: Rebutted Presumption and Harmless Procedural Error Under MAPA Case: Vaccaro v. Three Forks Area Ambulance Service, 2025 MT 230N (Mont. Oct....

Post-Habeas Removal of Illegal Restitution Is Not a Resentencing: The Oral–Written Sentence Rule Does Not Apply — Woods v. Wead (Mont. 2025)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Post-Habeas Removal of Illegal Restitution Is Not a Resentencing: The Oral–Written Sentence Rule Does Not Apply — Woods v. Wead (Mont. 2025) Introduction In Woods v. Wead (Mont. Oct. 7, 2025), the...

Attorney General’s Authority to Represent the State and State Officers in Post‑Conviction Proceedings Clarified; “Technical Failure” Discretion Applied — State v. Antoinette Frank (La. 2025)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Attorney General’s Authority to Represent the State and State Officers in Post‑Conviction Proceedings Clarified; “Technical Failure” Discretion Applied — State v. Antoinette Frank (La. 2025)...

Rule 35(b) in the CNMI: Motions to Reduce Sentence Are Pleas for Leniency, Not Legal Corrections

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Rule 35(b) in the CNMI: Motions to Reduce Sentence Are Pleas for Leniency, Not Legal Corrections Introduction In Commonwealth v. Rios, 2025 MP 7 (Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern...

Tribal Bar Admission Is Not “Admission in a State, Territory, or D.C.” Under SCR 40.04(1); Exam-Eligibility Denials Are Reviewable Under the Court’s Supervisory Authority

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Tribal Bar Admission Is Not “Admission in a State, Territory, or D.C.” Under SCR 40.04(1); Exam-Eligibility Denials Are Reviewable Under the Court’s Supervisory Authority Introduction In Joy Morris...

No Agency-Made Privileges: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Holds 37 Pa. Code § 61.2 Does Not Create an Evidentiary Privilege

Date: Oct 10, 2025

No Agency-Made Privileges: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Holds 37 Pa. Code § 61.2 Does Not Create an Evidentiary Privilege Introduction In Toland v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (Pa....

Stagnation, Child-Centric Timing, and Appellate Civility Reaffirmed in Vermont TPR Appeals: In re A.C. (Vt. 2025)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Stagnation, Child-Centric Timing, and Appellate Civility Reaffirmed in Vermont TPR Appeals: In re A.C. (Vt. 2025) Note on precedential value: This is an entry order of a three-justice panel of the...

Termination Need Not Await Permanent Placement: Past Conduct Can Establish Inability to Parent Within a Reasonable Time

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Termination Need Not Await Permanent Placement: Past Conduct Can Establish Inability to Parent Within a Reasonable Time Case: In re A.S., W.S., A.S., M.S., and A.S., Juveniles (A.S., Father) Court:...

Stagnation Reaffirmed: Partial Case‑Plan Compliance Does Not Bar Termination Where Domestic‑Violence Accountability and Consistent Contact Are Lacking

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Stagnation Reaffirmed: Partial Case‑Plan Compliance Does Not Bar Termination Where Domestic‑Violence Accountability and Consistent Contact Are Lacking Case: In re K.L., Juvenile (J.G., Father), No....

Vermont TPR Clarified: No Comparative “Foster Parent vs. Parent” Balancing, Relative Placement Irrelevant at TPR, and Appellants Must Cure Transcript Defects

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Vermont TPR Clarified: No Comparative “Foster Parent vs. Parent” Balancing, Relative Placement Irrelevant at TPR, and Appellants Must Cure Transcript Defects Case: In re K.L. and M.L., Juveniles,...

Immediate Clarification Controls: Vermont Affirms Written Mittimus Where Court Corrects Oral Misstatement; Record-as-a-Whole Satisfies Rule 11(f)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Immediate Clarification Controls: Vermont Affirms Written Mittimus Where Court Corrects Oral Misstatement; Record-as-a-Whole Satisfies Rule 11(f) Case: State v. Christopher Cochran, No. 24-AP-281...

Lay Authentication of Home‑Security Footage and Non‑Incidental Restraint Confirmed: State v. Stevens (Vt. 2025)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Lay Authentication of Home‑Security Footage and Non‑Incidental Restraint Confirmed: State v. Stevens (Vt. 2025) Note: This is a three‑justice entry order of the Vermont Supreme Court and, under...

Functional Impairment Controls When Post-Injury Earnings Are Equal or Greater: Iowa Supreme Court Clarifies § 85.34(2)(v) in Den Hartog Industries v. Dungan

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Functional Impairment Controls When Post-Injury Earnings Are Equal or Greater: Iowa Supreme Court Clarifies § 85.34(2)(v) in Den Hartog Industries v. Dungan Introduction In Den Hartog Industries and...

Retroactive Authentication of Bodycam-Captured Surveillance Video: Iowa Supreme Court Confirms Subsequent Witness Testimony Can Cure Foundational Defects Under Rule 5.901

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Retroactive Authentication of Bodycam-Captured Surveillance Video: Iowa Supreme Court Confirms Subsequent Witness Testimony Can Cure Foundational Defects Under Rule 5.901 Case: State of Iowa v....

Curtilage Requires Proof: Indiana Supreme Court Limits As‑Applied Attacks on the One‑Acre Homestead Cap

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Curtilage Requires Proof: Indiana Supreme Court Limits As‑Applied Attacks on the One‑Acre Homestead Cap Introduction In Tulsi Sawlani, M.D., et al. v. Lake County Assessor (Indiana Supreme Court,...

SB 483 Resentencing Must Apply Prop 36’s Public-Safety Override for Nonserious, Nonviolent Third Strikes: People v. Superior Court (Guevara)

Date: Oct 10, 2025

SB 483 Resentencing Must Apply Prop 36’s Public-Safety Override for Nonserious, Nonviolent Third Strikes Commentary on People v. Superior Court (Guevara), California Supreme Court (Oct. 9, 2025)...

Defendant-Caused Injury as the Touchstone of Venue Under Miss. Code § 11‑11‑3: Commentary on National Health Insurance Co. v. Lever

Date: Oct 10, 2025

Defendant-Caused Injury as the Touchstone of Venue Under Miss. Code § 11‑11‑3: Commentary on National Health Insurance Company v. Lever I. Introduction The Supreme Court of Mississippi’s decision in...

Confrontation Beyond “Similar Motive”: Michigan Supreme Court flags distinct constitutional and evidentiary inquiries and questions diligence when cooperators go missing

Date: Oct 9, 2025

Confrontation Beyond “Similar Motive”: The Michigan Supreme Court flags distinct constitutional and evidentiary inquiries and questions diligence when cooperators go missing Introduction In People of...

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