MICHAEL DAMON RIPPO, PETITIONER v. RENEE BAKER, WARDEN
Supreme Court of the United States, Per Curiam, March 6, 2017,
Recusal- A defendant seeking recusal of a judge doesn’t need to show actual bias on the part of the judge; an unreasonably high likelihood of bias is enough.
Continue reading
TERRANCE WILLIAMS, PETITIONER v. PENNSYLVANIA
Supreme Court of the United States, Kennedy, June 9, 2016,
Recusal – Due Process – Under the Due Process Clause there is an impermissible risk of actual bias when a judge earlier had significant, personal involvement as a prosecutor in a critical decision regarding the defendant’s case.
(Dissent – Roberts, joined by Alito – Authorizing seeking death penalty isn’t the same as personal involvement in a case and doesn’t reflect the post-conviction issue raised)
(Dissent – Thomas – Criminal and post-conviction proceedings are separate)
Continue reading