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Michael O'Hear

Jan 24, 2017

Sentencing and corrections reform in Wisconsin: Looking back, looking ahead

After about three decades of nearly continuous growth, Wisconsin’s prison population has stabilized over the past dozen years at about 22,000 to 23,000 inmates.

Nov 24, 2015

Court upholds firing of Milwaukee officer who punched woman (UPDATE)

A state Court of Appeals has ruled that a board had the authority to change its decision to suspend a Milwaukee police officer.

Dec 1, 2014

Truth-in-sentencing opponents waiting for change

Those in Wisconsin’s legal community who oppose truth-in-sentencing understand their chances for overturning, or at least toning down, the law depend on how well they play the long game.

Oct 24, 2014

7th Circuit decision unearths problems with mandatory minimums

A 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision released this week highlights the frustration some judges have with mandatory minimum sentences, as attorneys say a judge's decision to give a lower-than-mandated sentence was illegal.

Jun 2, 2014

Candid courtroom: Outspoken judges prompt criticism, admiration

Not every judge would feel comfortable writing in an opinion that “the sight of a shackled litigant is apt to make jurors think they’re dealing with a mad dog.”

Nov 18, 2013

Lessons learned: Prosecutors’ approaches to heroin epidemic differ from crack’s heyday

Nearly two decades after the height of crack cocaine use in Milwaukee, former District Attorney Mike McCann questions the tactics his office used to prosecute the problem.

Mar 18, 2013

Progress, room for improvement 50 years after Gideon decision

Fifty years ago today, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black delivered the unanimous, nine-page majority opinion in Gideon v. Wainwright.

Sep 27, 2011

BLAWG LOG: O’Hear on mandatory minimums and the disappearing trial

The New York Times has a new article on mandatory minimums and plea bargaining. The article notes the near-disappearance of the American criminal trial over the past generation.

Sep 23, 2011

BLAWG LOG: Farewell, Attorney Nathan A. Fishbach, by Michael O’Hear; Pettit: Landlords should treat tenant roommates as one person

The Milwaukee legal community lost one of its most distinguished members with the untimely passing of Nathan A. Fishbach.

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