Court says state can also appeal retrial ruling

Saying what’s good for the defense is good for the state, a Maryland appeals court has ruled prosecutors can appeal a judge’s decision that a convict should be granted a retrial based on newly discovered evidence and a reasonable showing of “actual innocence.”

Appellate mediation does more than resolve one case

The family dispute was ugly, with a mother suing her daughters over a bequest from their paternal uncle. Pretrial settlement negotiations went nowhere, fueling the animosity. A trial judge’s dismissal of the case did not end the matter: the mother filed an appeal. But no appellate court ever heard the case.