Status of high-profile US criminal appeals in 2026
What is the status of any ongoing high-profile US criminal appeals or cases highlighted in recent news (e.g., Etan Patz or similar)?
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Etan Patz case (Pedro Hernandez): U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the murder conviction on June 22, 2026.
The most prominent recent high-profile US criminal appeal — the Etan Patz murder case — was resolved at the appellate level on June 22, 2026, when the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 6–3 vote in an unsigned (per curiam) opinion, reinstated Pedro Hernandez's murder and kidnapping conviction. The three liberal justices dissented.
What the ruling did: It reversed a 2025 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which had vacated Hernandez's conviction. The Supreme Court held that "the Second Circuit exceeded its authority in holding that Hernandez is entitled to relief," ruling that the lower federal court overstepped the limits Congress placed on federal habeas review of state convictions under the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA).
Procedural history:
- 1979: 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared in lower Manhattan; the case became a landmark in the missing-children movement.
- 2015: Hernandez's first trial ended in a mistrial (deadlocked jury).
- 2017: Hernandez was convicted at a second trial of murder and kidnapping and sentenced to 25 years to life.
- 2025: The Second Circuit reversed the conviction, holding the trial judge gave an inadequate one-word ("the answer is no") response to a jury question about whether jurors had to disregard all of Hernandez's confessions if they found his initial, pre-Miranda confession involuntary. Manhattan prosecutors announced in late November 2025 that they would retry him.
- June 22, 2026: The Supreme Court reinstated the conviction, mooting the planned retrial.
Current status: Hernandez, 64, remains incarcerated serving his 25-years-to-life sentence; the reinstated conviction stands. No body has ever been recovered.
Sources:
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/supreme-court-reinstates-murder-conviction-in-case-of-etan-patz-missing-new-york-city-boy
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-etan-patz-murder-conviction-pedro-hernandez/
- https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/22/supreme-court-reinstating-murder-conviction-case-etan-patz-missing/
- https://abc7ny.com/post/pedro-hernandez-retrial-supreme-court-reinstates-murder-conviction-case-etan-patz-missing-new-york-city-boy/19354021/
- https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/29/us/etan-patz-case-pedro-hernandez-retrial