what would have been the best course of action in the appeals process in adnan's case

by Yazmin Emmerich 6 min read

What is the state’s response to Adnan's appeal?

Reviews, also known as appeals, consist of several levels of administrative review that must be requested within certain time periods and at the proper level. The levels of administrative review are the reconsideration, Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing, and Appeals Council (AC) review. The AC review ends the administrative review process.

What is the cross appellee appendix to Adnan’s Asia appeal?

The Process Although some cases are decided based on written briefs alone, many cases are selected for an "oral argument" before the court. Oral argument in the court of appeals is a structured discussion between the appellate lawyers and the panel of judges focusing on the legal principles in dispute. Each side is given a short time — usually about 15 minutes — to present …

What was the verdict in Adnan’s trial?

Apr 01, 2021 · The short answer to, “how often are appeals successful,” is typically, “not often.”. Most of the time, appeals are a long shot, meaning that they do not often end in favor of the party calling for the appeal. It’s difficult to put a number on how many appeals are successful, but many court professionals estimate that fewer than one ...

What is Adnan’s petition for post conviction relief?

Another piece of evidence would be Asia McClain. Asia was seen to be with/around Adnan Syed at the library during the time of the murder. When she was giving her testimony, it provided Adnan with an alibi that should’ve prolonged the case and should’ve been investigated more thoroughly. Unfortunately, Asia McClain never got to testify in court in Adnan’s favor which could’ve really ...

What did the Maryland Court of Appeals decide in Adnan's case?

Maryland's highest court ruled Friday that Adnan Syed, the subject of the world-famous "Serial" podcast, will not be granted a new trial after he was convicted of killing his high school classmate Hae Min Lee 20 years ago.Mar 8, 2019

What happened with Adnan's petition to the U.S. Supreme Court?

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not consider an appeal filed by convicted killer Adnan Syed, the main subject of the first season of the podcast Serial, leaving in place a state appeals court decision keeping him in prison for life.Nov 25, 2019

What is the strongest piece of evidence against Adnan?

The most important was testimony by a friend of Adnan's named Jay Wilds, who told the police he had helped Syed to bury Lee's body after Syed confessed to killing her, on Jan.Mar 8, 2019

What did Ms Gutierrez fail to do well in Adnan's trial?

His original murder conviction was overturned in June 2016 after a court found that Syed's trial attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, failed to cross-examine the prosecution's cell tower expert about the reliability of location data for incoming calls.Mar 10, 2019

Did the U.S. Supreme Court find that Adnan's 6th Amendment right was violated?

United States , the U.S. Supreme Court rules that an 8½-year delay between the government's indictment of a defendant and the defendant's arrest violates the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial.

Why was Adnan's first trial a mistrial?

December 15, 1999: Syed's first trial ends in a mistrial.

After jurors accidentally overheard an exchange in which the judge called Syed's attorney Cristina Gutierrez “a liar," a mistrial was declared.
Mar 31, 2019

What was Adnan's motive for his crime?

Q. According to the state's prosecutors, what was Adnan's motive for his crime? Hae cheated on him. He was enraged after she damaged his honor by breaking up with him.

What does Adnan's lawyer do at his sentencing trial that makes him so angry?

After Adnan's trial, his lawyer was disbarred for mishandling client money. Rabia thought that this lawyer had purposely lost (“botched” / “thrown”) the case so she could get more money for the appeal. The lawyer had died a few years later. What do Rabia and Saad say about their friend Adnan?

Who was the killer in serial podcast?

Adnan Syed
Adnan Syed, who was convicted in murder case in 2000 that last year became the subject of the hit podcast "Serial," will return to court in February, a judge ordered Monday.

How did Ms Gutierrez handled Adnan's case?

“She had a reputation as being a very, very meticulous and aggressive defense lawyer that left no stone unturned." However, in 2001, a year after Syed's conviction, Gutierrez was disbarred following allegations she drained a trust account containing client funds, according to The Baltimore Sun.Mar 12, 2019

What happened to Gutierrez with Maryland Court of Appeals?

Disbarment. On May 24, 2001, the Maryland Court of Appeals announced Gutierrez had been disbarred (by consent). Gutierrez had agreed to the disbarment, citing numerous health problems including multiple sclerosis (MS).

What happened to Cristina Gutierrez with Maryland Court of Appeals?

Two Maryland courts found that Syed deserved a new trial. His lawyer during his first trial, Cristina Gutierrez, failed to contact a woman who said she saw Syed at a library at the time prosecutors say he strangled his ex-girlfriend in 1999. Gutierrez has since died.Nov 25, 2019

What is the most missed opportunity before an appeal?

Most of the major missed opportunities that occur before your appeal involve what is known as “preservation.”. It’s important to know that an appellate court will only consider arguments that were brought to the trial court’s attention.

How to present a case to the appellate court?

To present your case to the appellate court, your appellate attorney will research and write an appellate brief. This is your only real chance to fully explain to the appellate court why the case should be reversed. If your argument is not included in the first brief, it generally won’t be considered.

How to find out why you are appealing?

First, your appellate attorney will discuss your case with you and your trial attorney, to find out why you’re appealing. Often, litigants will know exactly why they want to appeal – but there might be other errors, lurking in the record, and it takes a knowledgeable appellate attorney to find them. That’s why an appellate attorney will review every page of the record on appeal and will read every line of every transcript.

Why is it important to contact an appellate attorney?

That’s not the only danger: trial attorneys unfamiliar with appellate practice may not know how to secure your appellate rights. This is why it’s so important to contact an appellate attorney as soon as you think you may need to appeal.

What is a trial court?

From the point of view of an appellate court, a trial is a fast-moving free-for-all – where attorneys and judges make snap judgment after judgment, where everyone does the best they can in the moment. In short, trial court errors come thick as hail.

What is the real argument in an appellate case?

Often, the real argument lies in whether these rulings were significant enough to warrant reversal, for example, whether they were outside the bounds of judicial discretion. This is where researching and persuasive writing skills come in to play. An appellate attorney will research and rely on statutes, constitutions, precedential case law, administrative rules – any appropriate source of law – to argue that the trial court reversibly erred. Often this requires arguing that your case is similar to another case that the appellate court reversed.

Why do you need to file a motion for a new trial after the trial is over?

It may surprise you, but many trial attorneys aren’t aware that in order to preserve some of the arguments made during trial, they need to file a motion for new trial after the trial is over, to give the trial court a chance to rule on them again.

What was the verdict in the trial of Adnan?

Jury verdict finds Adnan guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery.

Who filed a conditional application for leave to cross appeal for Adnan?

Justin Brown filed a Conditional Application for Leave to Cross Appeal for Adnan regarding the alibi witness issue. This only would only apply if the State’s ALA was granted.

What court did Adnan submit a motion to reopen?

Adnan submits a Motion asking the Baltimore City Circuit Court (BCCC) to Reopen his Post Conviction proceedings (as requested by COSA). The 10 exhibits are described on a separate page. Most had been submitted as part of the many earlier filings except for 2 new documents: Part 1 of Prosecutor Kevin Urick’s January 2015 interview with the Intercept and Urick’s February 2015 letter to the editor of the Daily Record

How long is Adnan sentenced to?

Adnan is sentenced to Life plus 30 years and Judge Heard also dismisses Gutierrez’s Motion for a New Trial.

What is evidence filed along with appeals?

Sometimes these are called Exhibits or sometimes Appendices or Attachments. Although the Judges would always have a copy of the exhibits, they were not always included with the public versions, often though we’ve been able to cross reference and link to another copy. A couple of filings (or groups of filings) included so many exhibits that we made separate web pages so we could provide details without overwhelming this page.

What are the two sections of a judge's written decision?

The judges’ written decision (Memorandum Opinion) is in two sections, Part 1 and Part 2.

When did Adnan Syed file for supplemental authority?

Wednesday January 23, 2019. The Court of Appeals of Maryland granted leave to file the supplemental authority memorandum. Friday, March 8, 2019.

What is the brief of an appellant?

In the brief, the appellant tries to persuade the judges that the trial court made an error, and that its decision should be reversed.

What is a federal administrative review?

A litigant who is not satisfied with a decision made by a federal administrative agency usually may file a petition for review of the agency decision by a court of appeals. Judicial review in cases involving certain federal agencies or programs — for example, disputes over Social Security benefits — may be obtained first in a district court rather than a court of appeals.

How long is an oral argument?

Each side is given a short time — usually about 15 minutes ...

Is an appeal final?

Most appeals are final. The court of appeals decision usually will be the final word in the case, unless it sends the case back to the trial court for additional proceedings, or the parties ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.

Does the Supreme Court hear appeals?

There are also a small number of special circumstances in which the Supreme Court is required by law to hear an appeal. Different types of cases are handled differently during an appeal.

Can a federal court grant certiorari?

The Supreme Court, however, does not have to grant review.

Does the Supreme Court have to review a case?

The Supreme Court, however, does not have to grant review. The Court typically will agree to hear a case only when it involves an unusually important legal principle, or when two or more federal appellate courts have interpreted a law differently.

How to appeal a case?

What Does a Successful Appeal Look Like? 1 You have reliable counsel representing you (one who understands and has experience in appeals). 2 Your attorney fully reviews the Record on Appeal (the more thorough the review, the more likely it is that valid evidence will be located). 3 Your attorney prepares and files an appeal brief. 4 Your attorney provides a convincing oral argument that clearly lists errors that were made during the duration of your case.

What is an appeal in court?

An appeal simply asks for another examination of certain information that was already used in the case. In some instances, courts approve the appeal and the case may return to court for a second trial. In other cases, a court approves the appeal and as a result, the conviction is reversed or the sentence is changed.

What happens when a defendant is found guilty?

When a defendant is found guilty, he or she can sometimes appeal the decision in appellate court. Though an appeal is not the same as another trial, nor does it have to result in another trial, it can be pursued to point out possible errors made during the first trial. An appeal simply asks for another examination of certain information ...

Why is an appeal not a new trial?

Because it is not automatically a new trial, there is no jury, no witnesses, or new forms of evidence. The court simply examines the facts as they were presented, and determines whether those facts go against the evidence taken into account. Once an appeal is complete, the result is most often final. That is unless the case goes back to court ...

What does it mean when an appeal does not present enough information to change the outcome of the case?

Usually, appeals do not present enough information to change the outcome of the case, meaning that the appealing party fails to sufficiently point out any wrongdoing on the court’s behalf.

What happens when an appeal is completed?

Once an appeal is complete, the result is most often final. That is unless the case goes back to court for another trial or the parties ask a higher court to review the case.

How often are appeals successful?

The short answer to, “how often are appeals successful,” is typically, “not often.”

What is the first step in resolving an ethical dilemma?

The first step in resolving an ethical dilemma is to identify the problem.

What is the purpose of refraining from dual relationships?

A practitioner must refrain from dual relationships to maintain an ethical practice.

Which is more effective, goal setting or visual thinking?

In goal setting the [ ] technique is effective for logical thinkers while the [ ] technique is more suited to visually oriented thinkers.

How to overcome procrastination?

A good way to overcome procrastination is to reframe the situation.

Evidence Released with Court Filings

Image
Evidence was often submitted along with the appeal filings, sometimes copies of documents already known or on the record, but often something brand new. Sometimes these are called Exhibits or sometimes Appendices or Attachments. Although the Judges would always have a copy of the exhibits, they were not alw…
See more on adnansyedwiki.com

2019 Syed’s Appeal to The United States Supreme Court

  • For the most up to date news, follow Justin Brown and Steve Klepper on Twitter and Colin Miller’s Evidence Prof blogalways has very prompt analysis and explainers.
See more on adnansyedwiki.com

Sources

  • The majority of the historical documents were sourced from either the Maryland COSA website (part of mdcourts.gov) or the blog of Justin Brown (Adnan’s attorney), a few were shared anonymously online by multiple different people, others were provided by Rabia Chaudryfrom the Rahman/Syed’s family records. More recent filings were mainly from Adnan’s attorney Justin Bro…
See more on adnansyedwiki.com

Acronyms and Legal Terms

  1. ALA = Application for Leave to Appeal, a request for the Court to allow a proper appeal to be heard;
  2. Amicus Curiae or Amicus Brief = a legal document submitted by somebody who is interested in the legal issues of a case, although they are not directly involved;
  3. ASA = Assistant State’s Attorney;
  1. ALA = Application for Leave to Appeal, a request for the Court to allow a proper appeal to be heard;
  2. Amicus Curiae or Amicus Brief = a legal document submitted by somebody who is interested in the legal issues of a case, although they are not directly involved;
  3. ASA = Assistant State’s Attorney;
  4. BCCC or CC = Baltimore City Circuit Court;