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Details
Congratulations Bluhm Legal Clinic and Angela Daker!
September 17, 2001
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Bluhm Legal Clinic client Derrick Hardaway was granted petition for habeas corpus in federal district court in September 2001. In his decision, Judge Milton Shadur recognized that juveniles are developmentally disadvantaged in the interrogation room and require special protections to enable them to understand and exercise their constitutional rights. Until now, Illinois courts had largely ignored the federal constitutional law governing juvenile confessions.
Clinic attorneys Tom Geraghty, Steven Drizin, and Angela Coin, and many Northwestern Law students first tried this case seven years ago. Despite their hard work, Derrick, a 14-year-old, was tried as an adult and convicted as an accomplice in the murder of 11-year-old Robert "Yummy" Sandifer. The case garnered national headlines due to the intensive manhunt for Sandifer (who himself was a suspect in a shooting). Faith Gay '86, a former federal prosecutor and an attorney at Sidley & Austin, then handled the direct appeal pro bono, but the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed Derrick's conviction and the Illinois Supreme Court refused to accept review.
Convinced that Derrick should seek relief in federal court, Clinical Assistant Professor Angela Daker, who began work on Derrick's case as a student, drafted the petition this past spring and was the lead lawyer on the briefs in support of the petition. Her work on this case exemplifies the highest standards of skill and dedication and resulted in a wonderful result for Derrick and a powerful precedent for all Illinois juvenile delinquents. Because of Angela's work, a federal court decision now clearly establishes constitutional law regarding the confessions of children.
Audience: General public
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