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Borawick v. Shay
The court ruled that memories recalled after hypnosis are not automatically allowed. It found the plaintiff's recovered abuse memories too unreliable for use in court.
Isely v. Capuchin Province
The court ruled that expert testimony on PTSD and repressed memory is admissible if reliable. However, experts cannot vouch for a victim's credibility or state that abuse definitively happened.
Farmer v. Brennan
The Supreme Court ruled that prison officials violate the Eighth Amendment if they disregard a known, substantial risk of serious harm to an inmate. This clarified the standard for "deliberate indifference."
Messina v. Mazzeo
The court allowed excessive force and medical claims from a man who sued police and jail staff. He alleged excessive force during arrest, denial of kosher food, and deliberate indifference to methadone withdrawal.
State v. Michaels
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coercive child interviews can distort memories, requiring a pretrial hearing. The State must clearly prove the testimony's reliability.
Helling v. McKinney
The Supreme Court ruled that prison conditions posing unreasonable future health risks, like secondhand smoke exposure, violate the Eighth Amendment if officials are deliberately indifferent.
Johnson v. Texas
The Supreme Court affirmed Dorsie Lee Johnson's death sentence. It held that considering a defendant's future dangerousness allows juries to adequately consider a defendant's youth.
Godinez v. Moran
The Supreme Court ruled that the same competency standard applies to pleading guilty, waiving counsel, and standing trial. A higher standard is not required, but waivers must be knowing and voluntary.
State v. Provost
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that psychiatric testimony on intent is inadmissible. Expert evidence on intoxication or mental illness cannot be used to negate criminal intent.
McGuckin v. Smith
The 9th Circuit held that prison officials can violate the Eighth Amendment by showing deliberate indifference to a prisoner's serious medical needs. Courts must allow pro se prisoners a fair chance to amend their claims.
US v. Southern Management Corp.
The court found landlords violated fair housing laws by refusing to rent to recovering drug rehabilitation participants, basing their decision on stereotypes rather than individual merit.
United States v. Forbes
A Colorado court found the Analogue Act too vague for some synthetic drugs in 1992. This ruling challenged law enforcement's standards for similar substances.
Riggins v. Nevada
The Court ruled that forcibly medicating a defendant to make them competent for trial, without considering other options, violated their due process rights.
State v. Hall
The North Carolina Supreme Court reversed a rape conviction, ruling that PTSD and conversion disorder evidence can corroborate testimony, but not prove sexual assault. A new trial was ordered.
McMaugh v. State
The Rhode Island Supreme Court ordered a new trial, recognizing battered woman's syndrome. Years of abuse prevented the defendant from assisting counsel and presenting an independent defense.