The Supreme Court kicked off a new term on Monday by rejecting hundreds of appeals that built up over the summer recess. Because of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which commemorates the Jewish New Year, the justices did not hear any arguments on Monday. Three of the eight justices are Jewish. Arguments are scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Here are five cases that will not be heard by the high court this coming term.

Death Row Appeal

From 2009 to 2013, death row inmates in North Carolina were allowed to review sentencing statistics to prove their sentencing was tainted by racial bias under the Racial Justice Act. Four inmates–three African-Americans and one Native American–had their death sentences reduced to life in prison with no parole because of the newly enacted law. But North Carolina’s Supreme Court vacated the reduced sentences last December, after the Racial Justice Act was annulled in 2013, meaning the inmates’ death sentences could be reinstated.

The inmates sought to appeal that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected their appeal on Monday. Their cases will be retried at the state level. North Carolina has not performed an execution in 10 years.

Obama Immigration Appeal

In late 2014, President Obama announced a proposal to shield illegal immigrants who met certain residency requirements and stopped children who were U.S. citizens from being deported. Twenty-six states sued, claiming Obama was overstepping his authority, and the Supreme Court, operating as an eight person bench due to Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February, ruled in a 4-4 decision against the administration.

On Monday, the high court weighed an appeal from the Obama administration to reconsider his proposal when a ninth member joins the bench. They rejected the appeal.

Taser Gun Appeal

In 2011, police officers in North Carolina shot a man five times with a taser gun. The man, Ronald Armstrong, was mentally ill and refused to be taken to a mental hospital. He later died from the taser wounds.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the police used excessive force, and established new restrictions on police officers’ ability to use a taser gun on people resisting arrest. The U.S. Supreme will not rehear the case this term, they said on Monday, leaving in place the taser guidelines established by the lower court.

John Deere Appeal

Prior to 2013, New Hampshire’s Automobile Dealer Bill of Rights law barred automobile manufacturers from ending dealer contracts without just cause. Then, in 2013, New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan expanded the law to include farm equipment manufacturers. Led by John Deere, the newly expanded law was challenged in the state’s Supreme Court, which upheld the law.

The farm equipment firms appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which let the state court ruling stand by rejecting the appeal.

“Whitey” Bulger Appeal

James “Whitey” Bulger, the infamous Boston gangster, was arrested in 2011 after 17 years on the lam. Two years later, he was convicted of racketeering crimes, and of playing a role in at least 11 murders. Bulger, 87, appealed his 2013 conviction, arguing that a now-dead federal prosecutor promised him immunity.

His appeal to the Supreme Court was officially shut down on Monday, and he is now essentially guaranteed to spend the remainder of his life behind bars.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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After evading authorities for nearly two decades, former mobster Enrico Ponzo will finally get his day in court on October 7, 2013. Ponzo, referred to by the Boston Globe as a “wannabe gangster,” is best known for attempting to murder Francis “Cadillac Frank” Salemme in 1989. In a superseding indictment released on January 31, 2013, he has been charged with 18 counts of racketeering, drug trafficking, witness tampering, as well as other charges. This indictment tacks more crimes onto an original 1997 indictment that includes attempted murder, intent to distribute drugs, extortion, and forfeiture.

This case will not garner nearly as much attention as the Whitey Bulger trial earlier this year, but it will offer a look into the life of a mobster—a subculture that has become so oddly romanticized by media darlings such as The Sopranos, The Godfather trilogy, and Scarface.

Ponzo’s case offers a completely different look at what it means to be a member of the mob scene. Unlike the household names of Bulger, Al Capone, or John Gotti, Enrico Ponzo was a mid-level lackey at best. In the 1980s, as a teenager, Ponzo was swept into the infighting that occurred in the New England Patriarca crime family. The Patriarca family, an almost exclusively Italian crime network based in Boston and Providence, rose to prominence in the 1950s and took on the nickname “La Cosa Nostra.”  Their leader, Raymond Patriarca died in 1984 and his second in command Jerry Angiulo was sent to prison in 1986. In the years that followed, the family suffered an organizational crisis.

“Cadillac Frank” Salemme, a prominent member of the Patriarca family operation, was one of the options to take over the network, but his partly Irish heritage and strong connections to rival Irish gangs worried some members. Put simply, two factions developed-one led by Joseph Russo, the other led by Frank Salemme. The fierce infighting that ensued almost led to Salemme’s death when he was shot outside an IHOP in 1989 by a group of armed men. Ponzo is accused of being part of that group.

According to the FBI, Salemme became the de facto head of the Patriarca family in 1991, but the war between his faction and Russo’s waged on. Ponzo was one of Russo’s loyalists, and under his tenure may have committed a number of nefarious acts. In 1994 Ponzo fled New England to avoid arrest.

Ponzo spent approximately the next 16 years on the lam, hiding in the town of Marsing, Idaho under the name Jay Shaw. In some ways, he was hiding in plain sight—in a town of just over 1,000 people, it’s impossible to stay completely anonymous. He worked as a cattle rancher, and his 2011 arrest sent shockwaves through the town. According to the Boston Globe, his 80-year-old neighbor Bob Briggs stated, “I don’t think anybody in Marsing could think he’d hurt anyone, not here anyway.”

After his trial in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts this week, Ponzo may also face charges in Idaho. When arrested, it was discovered that he had a firearm store of approximately 30 weapons in his Idaho home. The Idaho indictment also alleges other counts, such as identity theft. This case will not be dealt with until the Massachusetts trial has been finished.

In many ways, the Italian mafia’s real power has diminished greatly over the last 20-30 years. The FBI has cracked down on mob bosses in all the major centers of power: Chicago, New York, and Boston. But a different sort of Italian mafia has arisen since the turn of the century—one that exists purely in the sphere of pop culture. When James Gandolfini passed away in June of 2013, the nation mourned such a talented actor. The first sentence of a Washington Post blog post by Brad Hirschfeld read, “Mourning a mobster – a man whose life was predicated on intimidation, extortion and murder – may seem odd.  Odder still, when the mobster in question is a fictional character.  But with the sudden death of James Gnadolfini that is exactly what millions of people, including me, are doing.”

Romanticizing the mob—a network of organizations that survived on murder, extortion, drug dealing, and other crimes, has become the norm. But Ponzo’s case, the case of a petty criminal, reminds us that such a culture does not consist purely of plots, games, and critically acclaimed series finales.

[Boston Globe]

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Featured image courtesy of [Wally Gobetz via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The jury will start its third day of deliberations on Thursday in the trial of James “Whitey” Bulger who faces 33 counts of racketeering.  The charges include committing or assisting 19 murders, money laundering, weapons charges, and extortion.  In order for a racketeering conviction to be made, the jury only needs to decide that he is guilty of two of the charges that happened within 10 years of each other.  Bulger’s charges focus on his time leading the South Boston Irish mob known as the Irish Hill Gang, which took place during the 1970s and ‘80s .

After several requests to clarify legal terminology like “aiding and abetting,” as well as the need for unanimous agreement on each charge the jury seems to be making progress on their decisions.  Judge Denise Casper urged the jury to not make findings on certain racketeering acts if they are unable to come to a unanimous decision.

[Huffington Post]

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Featured image courtesy of [Federal Bureau of Prisons via Wikipedia]

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

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