The Court decided both a large number of criminal law cases and a wide array of issues this past term. There was no single area of focus for the Court, but several cases this term dealt with defendants seeking to retract plea agreements based upon the alleged faulty advice of counsel. In one instance, a defendant claimed to have turned down a plea agreement because he received faulty sentencing advice from counsel.
The Court also signaled its clear displeasure with the polygraph and, though it has not barred use of the polygraph entirely, it has expressed its concern with its use in court and has dictated procedures that must occur when polygraph results are sought to be used in the future. The Court, in addition, decided search and seizure cases, which continues to be a murky area of the law, and it also decided cases involving faulty jury instructions and cases involving the introduction of prior bad acts as evidence. The number of cases decided this past decade, which involve jury instructions and prior bad acts evidence, should cause counsel to pay particular attention at trial and object when error occurs in these areas.
