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29 Mar

Syed Files Appellate Brief

By Justin Brown Coram Nobis, Maryland Criminal Defense, Post Conviction & 2255, SyedNo Comments 14

Adnan Syed today filed his “Brief of Appellee/Cross-Appellant” with the Court of Special Appeals. To recap, on June 30, 2016, the Baltimore City Circuit Court vacated Syed’s conviction and granted him a new trial. The Baltimore City Circuit Court found that Syed’s trial counsel had been constitutionally ineffective, in violation of the Sixth Amendment, at Syed’s original trial in 2000. The State is appealing the Circuit Court’s ruling to the Court of Special Appeals. The State filed its

25 Jan

Message to Non-Citizens with Prior Convictions

By Justin Brown Coram NobisNo Comments 0

The election of Donald Trump will have sweeping consequences for everyone, but perhaps no group should be more concerned than non-citizens who have criminal records. Trump has already stated that he will target this group, and, as president, he now has the means to follow through on his promise. Many of these non-citizens are legal permanent residents who have been here for a long time. In many cases they are productive members of the community,

29 Dec

Court Denies Syed’s Bail Motion

By Justin Brown Maryland Criminal Defense, Post Conviction & 2255, SyedNo Comments 0

The Circuit Court for Baltimore City has denied Adnan Syed’s Motion for Release Pending Appeal. Judge Welch denied the Motion, in large part, because of the open status of the case in the appeals court. (The State is attempting to appeal Judge Welch’s Order vacating Syed’s conviction and granting a new trial; multiple applications for leave to appeal are pending). Judge Welch also denied Syed’s request for a hearing. Syed has already served more than 17 years in

18 Nov

New Filing: Syed’s Reply in Support of Release

By Justin Brown Maryland Criminal Defense, Post Conviction & 2255, SyedNo Comments 0

Adnan Syed today filed a Reply in support of his Motion seeking pretrial release. Syed seeks pretrial release following the Circuit Court’s Order vacating his conviction and ordering a new trial. The State opposed Syed’s Motion in a filing last week, and this is Syed’s Reply to the arguments raised by the State. To read the latest filing, click here: SYED’S REPLY IN SUPPORT OF PRETRIAL RELEASE

24 Oct

Syed Files Motion for Bail

By Justin Brown UncategorizedNo Comments 8

Adnan Syed today filed a Motion seeking to be released on bail while the State’s appeal is pending and while he awaits a new trial. The Motion was prepared by Brown & Nieto and Hogan Lovells, and was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The full Motion is available here: Motion for Release Pending Appeal The exhibits are available here: Motion for Release Exhibits 1-38 For media requests please contact Pamel Munoz at (312) 252-4115.

13 Oct

Life Sentence Defeated in Federal Court

By Justin Brown Bureau of Prisons, Federal Criminal Defense, Federal Sentencing, Maryland Criminal Defense, Post Conviction & 2255No Comments 3

The Firm is happy to announce that today we defeated a life sentence in federal court. Eleven years ago, while represented by different counsel, D.E. was sentenced to life imprisonment for a non-violent drug offense. Because he had at least two prior drug convictions, he received a mandatory life sentence, without the possibility of parole. It appeared as if he would die in a federal penitentiary. This morning, with his family watching from the gallery,

16 Sep

National & Local Lawyers File Amicus for Syed

By Justin Brown UncategorizedNo Comments 2

Two prominent criminal defense organizations have moved for leave to file an amicus curiae brief on behalf of Adnan Syed, urging the Maryland Court of Special Appeals to deny the State’s appeal and push the case forward toward a new trial. The brief, drafted by Steven Klepper of Kramon & Graham in Baltimore, does not take a side on Syed’s guilt or innocence but notes that “[t]he only satisfactory way to resolve the debate between the believers

15 Sep

Syed’s New Filings: Retry Case

By Justin Brown Maryland Criminal Defense, Post Conviction & 2255, Syed, UncategorizedNo Comments 0

Adnan Syed responded today to the State’s recent filings in which the State seeks (1) an appeal of Judge Welch’s order granting a new trial; and (2) a remand of the case back to the circuit court so the State can introduce the testimony of two impeachment witnesses. Syed’s filings urge the Court of Special Appeals to reject the State’s arguments. Justin Brown, Syed’s lead counsel, issues the following statement: “What we are saying in our filings

11 Aug

Syed files Conditional Cross Appeal

By Justin Brown Coram Nobis, Federal Criminal Defense, Maryland Criminal Defense, Post Conviction & 2255, SyedNo Comments 0

Syed today filed his conditional application for leave to cross appeal. Essentially, we are asking the Court of Special Appeals that, if it hears the State’s appeal of Judge Welch’s Order, we also want to appeal. The state wants to appeal the cell tower issue, upon which the new trial was granted, and we would want to appeal the alibi issue. Here is a link to the filing: Cross ALA (FINAL)

06 Jul

Hogan Lovells to Join Syed Defense Team!

By Justin Brown Post Conviction & 2255, Syed, UncategorizedNo Comments 0

Brown & Nieto is happy to announce that Hogan Lovells will join the Adnan Syed defense team as pro bono co-counsel. Hogan Lovells is a fantastic international firm with great lawyers and deep resources. They are one of the best large firms in the country, and they have deep ties to Baltimore. They are also experienced in innocence cases. As this case becomes more and more complicated, we felt that our team would benefit from bringing in reinforcements.

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