Document Type
Article
Abstract
During the 2024-2025 term, the Supreme Court decided fifteen cases related to the criminal justice system. These cases were brought by criminal defendants seeking post-conviction relief and civil litigants seeking redress for governmental harms arising out of criminal processes. Remarkably, two-thirds of the cases resulted in decisions favoring defendants or civil litigants opposing the government. This Article argues that the pro-defendant outcomes from this term are consistent with a recent trend in the Court’s decisions favoring defendants in these types of cases. The pro-defendant outcomes from the 2024-2025 term generally resulted from the less conservative justices aligning with the liberal justices to form a majority, with the most conservative justices in dissent. The majority of the Court appears driven by concerns over the fundamental fairness of the criminal justice system. The dissenting justices placed more value on the finality of judgments, particularly where evidence of guilt was substantial. These cases suggest a potentially broad impact on future criminal justice cases in favor of defendants.
Recommended Citation
Sharon R. Fairley, Fundamental Fairness Guides the Supreme Court's Criminal Justice Decisions in the 2025-2025 Term, 17 ConLawNOW 47 (2025)