Justia Constitutional Law Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of conviction of attempted murder and other offenses entered by the trial court, holding that multiple acts of prosecutorial error occurred in this case, requiring remand for a new trial.A jury found Defendant guilty of attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, robbery, and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. On appeal, Defendant principally argued that the trial court erred in denying his repeated motions for a mistrial based on allegedly improper comments made during the prosecution's opening statement, closing statement, and rebuttal. The Supreme Judicial Court agreed and remanded the case for a new trial, holding (1) the State committed error in its opening statement and closing argument; and (2) because Defendant's substantial rights were impaired, under Me. Const. art. I, 6 and 6-A and this Court's supervisory power, the appropriate remedy in this case was a new trial. View "State v. White" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant on two charges of aggravated furnishing of cocaine, which were merged for sentencing, holding that the trial court erred when it denied Defendant's motion to suppress, and the error was not harmless.At issue was the denial of Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained when police officers stopped him after receiving an anonymous tip and searched his belongings outside a bus station. The trial court concluded that the officers had an objectively reasonable, articulable suspicion that Defendant had been engaged in criminal activity when they stopped they stopped him. The Supreme Court vacated the judgment below, holding that the evidence regarding the anonymous tip and the police's efforts to confirm its reliable failed to establish an objectively reasonable, articulable suspicion sufficient to justify the stop. View "State v. Barclift" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of conviction entered in the trial court upon his conditional guilty plea to drug-related offenses and endangering the welfare of a child, holding that the trial court did not err when it denied Defendant's motion to suppress.Based on evidence discovered during the stop of a Honda Civic the grand jury indicted Defendant on the four counts for which he was later convicted. Defendant moved to suppress the evidence obtained during the stop, arguing that the police officer lacked a clearly articulated and objectively reasonable suspicion to justify the seizure. The trial court denied the motion to suppress, and Defendant entered conditional guilty pleas on all counts. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding that the vehicle stop was constitutionally permissible, and therefore, the trial court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress. View "State v. Lovell" on Justia Law

On interlocutory appeal in this case involving the New England Clean Energy Connect project (Project), the Supreme Judicial Court held that retroactive application of legislation enacted by voters (the Initiative) to the Project, as required by section 6 of the Initiative, was unconstitutional.On November 2, 2021, fifty-nine percent of Maine voters approved a ballot question through a public referendum that would result in legislation effectively precluding the Project, which is designed to transmit power generated in Quebec through Maine and into Massachusetts. Plaintiff filed a complaint for declaratory relief alleging that retroactive application of the Initiative to the Project was unconstitutional. The trial court reported the case to the Supreme Judicial Court. The Supreme Judicial Court held that section 6 of the Initiative, as applied retroactively to the certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) issued for the Project, would infringe on Plaintiff's constitutionally-protected vested rights if Plaintiff can demonstrate that it engaged in substantial construction of the Project in good-faith reliance on the authority granted by the CPCN before Maine voters approved the initiated bill by public referendum. View "NECEC Transmission LLC v. Bureau of Parks & Lands" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, holding that the trial court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress, and Defendant's remaining allegations of error were unavailing.Specifically, the Supreme Judicial Court held (1) because law enforcement had probable cause to arrest Defendant, the court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress; (2) the trial court did not err in determining that there was no violation of the court's sequestration order; (3) there was no obvious error in the instructions given to the jury; and (4) there was no illegality in the sentence or in the court's procedure. View "State v. Rosario" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for murder and his sentence of fifty years in prison, holding that there was no error or abuse of discretion.At issue on appeal was whether the trial court erred in denying Defendant's motion to suppress his statements to law enforcement while walking them through his home. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding that the trial court (1) did not abuse its discretion in denying Defendant's motion to suppress a video recording of a walk-through of the crime scene, as there was no police misconduct in the interviews and walk-through with Defendant; (2) did not err in denying Defendant's motion for judgment of acquittal; (3) did not commit obvious error in not instructing the jury on concurrent causation; and (4) did not misapply legal principles or abuse its sentencing power in setting the basic sentence. View "State v. Athayde" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for operating under the influence, entered after a jury trial, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on her allegations of error.After a trial, a jury found Defendant guilty of operating under the influence and of having a blood-alcohol level of .15 grams or more per 210 liters of breath at the time of the offense. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding that the trial court (1) did not err in denying Defendant's challenge for cause to a prospective juror based on implied bias; and (2) did not violate Defendant's constitutional rights by factoring into her sentence the court's view that her testimony was untruthful without making perjury findings. View "State v. Hemminger" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for certain domestic violence incidents, including possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his allegations of error.After a jury convicted him of six offenses Defendant appealed, raising several allegations of error. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court did not err in denying Defendant's request for sanctions for the State’s alleged discovery violations; (2) the trial court did not commit obvious error by admitting testimony of a police officer, including certain statements under Me. R. Evid. 801(d)(1)(B); (3) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting an unauthenticated letter that Defendant claimed was written on behalf of the victim; (4) the court did not err when it denied Defendant's motion to dismiss because of the makeup of the jury venire; and (5) there was sufficient evidence for the jury to have rationally found that every element of each count Defendant was convicted of was proved beyond a reasonable doubt. View "State v. Thomas" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the trial court suppressing Defendant's blood test results in the State's prosecution of Defendant for operating under the influence, holding that the findings of the court did not support its legal conclusion that Defendant did not voluntarily give his consent.In suppressing the blood test results the trial court concluded that the blood draw was a result of simple acquiescence to the trooper's authority. On appeal, the State argued that the trial court erred in concluding that Defendant did not voluntarily consent to the blood draw. The Supreme Judicial Court agreed and reversed the the trial court's order suppressing the evidence, holding that, in the totality of the circumstances, holding that Defendant's response to the trooper's request objectively manifested free and voluntary consent. View "State v. Croteau" on Justia Law

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's parental rights as to his child, holding that Father was not denied due process and that Father failed to prove his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.After a hearing, the district court entered an order terminating the parental rights of Mother and Father to their child finding that the parents were unwilling or unable to protect the child from jeopardy or to take responsibility for the child in a time reasonably calculated to meet the child's needs and that termination was in the child's best interest. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court's decision to accept a proposed order and findings only from the Department of Health and Human Services did not affect the outcome of the case; and (2) Father was not entitled to relief on his ineffective assistance of counsel claim. View "In re Child of Kenneth S." on Justia Law