Attorney Wood - in his role as MACDL Amicus Committee co-chair - was proud to support the powerful amicus efforts of the New England Innocence Project, Boston College Innocence Program, The Exoneration Project, in Commonwealth v. Valle. The groups filed a joint amicus letter with the Supreme Judicial Court. Mr. Valle was convicted entirely on uncorroborated eyewitness identification testimony. Mr. Valle had an alibi. The case presents many of the factors identified in scientific research as risk factors for an erroneous identification. But his attorney never presented expert testimony on this research, relying only on jury instructions to educate the jury. The case appears to be a true miscarriage of justice. And yet, the Appeals Court not only rejected Mr. Valle’s appeal by viewing each error in isolation, but did so in an unpublished opinion and without even allowing his attorney, Jessica LaClair, to present oral argument. Read the amicus letter here.