At Day Two of the @quattronecenter.org Symposium. Listening to Officer Brian O'Hara recount how he led the Minneapolis PD during Metro Surge by ICE. Thank you, Chief O'Hara for leading through integrity. #QCJustice
Marissa Bluestine (she/her)
@marissab.bsky.social
Former public defender and innocence lawyer, now just trying to improve the world.
Getting very excited for @quattronecenter.org Symposium this week! Practitioners, academics, and impacted people from all over the country gathering for two days of discussion and networking. Nothing else like it! #QCJustice
With crime data at the center of a great deal of political debate, it's essential that we get it right and separate the signal from the noise. We're excited to listen to this new podcast from nationally renowned data (and friend of QC) @jeffasher.bsky.social:
The Jeff-alytics Podcast Is Coming!
Episode 0 is here! Episode 1 drops next Wednesday!
jasher.substack.com
That's my pal @marissab.bsky.social out there doing the good work.
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School@penncareylaw.bsky.social · 12mo ago@quattronecenter.org Assistant Director Marissa Bluestine spoke to @nysfocus.bsky.social about the state's CIU and how it is handling wrongful convictions. https://penncareylaw.news/4pn15lz?
Congratulations to @MariaOquendoMD (@PennPsych), @ahrensnicklas.bsky.social (@childrensphila.bsky.social / @pennmedicine.bsky.social) & @marissab.bsky.social (@PennLaw) on being named 2025 Rad Award nominees by @thephilacitizen.bsky.social! tinyurl.com/mr2zxtx4
I need all of #lawsky to see this video from a Colorado appeals court livestream yesterday. I am in actual tears. Sound *incredibly* on, the subtitles will not help.
Impeachment now. This is not a legal gray area - this open defiance of our constitutional system.
Sam Bagenstos@sbagen.bsky.social · last yr.There's no declaration of war, and no AUMF that covers this. Entering this war is wrong on the merits; we had a perfectly peaceful way to address Iran's nuclear program. It's also unlawful. A democratic republic should not be able to enter a war of choice on one man's say-so.
There's no declaration of war, and no AUMF that covers this. Entering this war is wrong on the merits; we had a perfectly peaceful way to address Iran's nuclear program. It's also unlawful. A democratic republic should not be able to enter a war of choice on one man's say-so.
Keith Boykin@keithboykin.bsky.social · last yr.The US has hust dropped bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites, according to Trump, bringing American military forces into Israel’s war with Iran.
This is an opportunity for anyone interested in conviction integrity to learn more and contribute to the conversation. Please let me know if you have any questions. Spread the word!
Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice@quattronecenter.org · last yr.Join the Quattrone Center today (live online until 6 p.m. ET, no fee) for the first session of Conference from Your Couch: Truth, Science, and Justice: Conversations About Conviction Integrity. events.zoom.us/ev/AuAAZ1o1T...
CIUs and innocence orgs are "Working Across the V" to correct wrongful convictions, but why are they both important to the puzzle? Listen to our experts explain why these two groups work best together, rather than apart. To read the full report, visit our website: www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/q...
NYT report: Maverick County, Texas, rarely provides lawyers to people charged with minor crimes, and "people regularly spend months behind bars without charges filed against them, much longer than state law allows."
Forgotten in Jail Without a Lawyer: How a Texas Town Fails Poor Defendants
People in Maverick County spend months in jail waiting to be charged with minor crimes. Some are simply lost in the system.
nytimes.com
The DOJ appears poised to roll back policies supporting federal police oversight in cities, specifically consent decrees. Experts discuss how that will impact reform efforts in 12 cities.
Trump Is Backing Away From Police Reform. Here’s What That Means for 12 Places.
The administration appears set to end federal oversight of police, including agencies that have committed systemic civil rights violations.
themarshallproject.org
Big thanks to Lucian Dervan and all of our friends at the Plea Bargaining Institute for excellent presentations and discussions at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School on Friday!
The QC team had an inspiring few days learning, sharing, and connecting at the Innocence Network conference in Seattle. We're grateful for this powerful community of exonerees, experts, and advocates all working for a more just system. #InnocenceConference
More than 12% of exonerations in the US have involved a false confession of guilt. Our Assistant Director, @marissab.bsky.social, explains how false confessions happen and why they're one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions. Read her article in @theappeal.org: bit.ly/41qE1Hr
Our Assistant Director, @marissab.bsky.social, is the latest guest on the Just Justice Podcast! Listen to her interview with host Jessica Henry on conviction integrity units and how they help to find and correct wrongful convictions. Available wherever you find your pods: linktr.ee/jessicahenry...
Fairfax County, VA, will open their first Conviction Integrity Unit in partnership with our friends at the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202... Stay tuned for our report coming soon on the state of CIUs nationwide.
Fairfax prosecutor launches new unit to identify wrongful convictions
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said he hoped the initiative will help to foster public trust in the justice system.
washingtonpost.com
Now the whole country gets the experience of what it's like when private equity buys the place you work
YES!!!!!! Finally - Leonard Peltier can come home!!! apnews.com/article/leon...
Biden commutes sentence for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in killing of FBI agents
President Joe Biden has commuted the sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents and is serving life in prison.
apnews.com
Much of the science used to convict Russell Maze of killing his baby is considered questionable. New evidence points so much toward innocence that the DA’s office called for his release. He still might spend the rest of his life in prison. By @pamelacolloff.bsky.social
He Was Convicted of Killing His Baby. The DA’s Office Says He’s Innocent, but That Might Not Be Enough.
When new scientific evidence casts doubt on convictions, the justice system has no easy path to freedom — even when it’s the prosecutors doing the asking.
propub.li
In 2018, Lee Cowart was facing drug charges and jail time because sweetener found in his car returned a false positive for amphetamines on a field drug test. Share our video so people understand the risks of continuing to rely so heavily on these error-prone tests.
I look forward to hearing all about the invasive genital checks/DNA samples for each and every Congressperson and Congressional staffer. After all, I’m sure no one wants to selectively enforce a new rule just to bully a member of a marginalized community.
QC Assistant Director @marissab.bsky.social has spoken out frequently about interrogation practices. You can learn more here: www.law.upenn.edu/live/news/15...
Mandating Taped Interrogations
“[A] focus on best practices to avoid undue coercion and false confessions would go a long way to improve the quality of justice in Pennsylvania,” writes...
law.upenn.edu
It's the advice I give my law students every year.
cate@buny.bsky.social · 2y agoi’m gonna just watch this at least once a day and i recommend everyone do the same
@elliemargolis.bsky.social - time to get writing!
John Pfaff@johnpfaff.bsky.social · 2y agoI feel like we need a LOT of legal historians, political scientists, and political theory types to immediately start churning out piles of papers, aimed at the politician class, on how state governments can resist (and perhaps in the past have resisted) unhinged federal courts.