184 | Another Supreme Court Decision Stopping Innocent People from Getting Their Day in Court w/Alison Guernsey and Meredith Esser

An unfortunate theme of the show is the reality that the Supreme Court is more than happy to close the doors of the courthouse to those who are factually or legally innocent. Preferring to uphold and support the concept of “finality” over truth, the Supreme Court once again found a way to keep a potentially innocent man from escaping an unjust sentence. Joining Hunter to discuss this and more is Alison Guernsey, Director of the University of Iowa College of Law Federal Criminal Defense Clinic, and Meredith Esser, Director of the University of Wyoming College of Law Defender Aid Clinic. As former Federal Public Defenders themselves, both hope to draw attention to the immense disparity between people’s conception of justice and the “justice” available to those trapped in the Federal Criminal Legal System.

Guests:

Professor Alison Guernsey, Director Federal Criminal Defense Clinic, University of Iowa College of Law

Professor Meredith Esser, Director Defender Aid Clinic, University of Wyoming College of Law

Resources:

Jones v Hendrix:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-857_4357.pdf

https://theappeal.org/supreme-court-jones-v-hendrix-hurting-innocent-people/

Shinn v Ramirez:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1009_19m2.pdf

Rehaif v US:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/17-9560_e2p3.pdf

Changes to Compassionate Release:
https://www.fd.org/news/sentencing-commission-votes-expand-compassionate-release

FCI Dublin Coverage:
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/fci-dublin-womens-prison-sexual-abuse-class-action-lawsuit-filed-bureau-of-prisons/

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/two-more-dublin-federal-correctional-officers-plead-guilty-sexually-abusing-multiple

Meredith’s Law Review Article “Extraordinary Punishment: Conditions of Confinement and Compassionate Release”:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4410197

Allegra McLeod Law Review Article “Prison Abolition and Grounded Justice”:
https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2502&context=facpub

Alison’s Faculty Page:
https://law.uiowa.edu/people/alison-k-guernsey

Follow Alison on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/alison_guernsey?lang=en

Meredith’s Faculty Page:
https://www.uwyo.edu/law/directory/meredith-esser.html