Alabama fisherman loses Supreme Court case over retrial venue.
The US Supreme Court unanimously ruled against an Alabama fisherman, Timothy Smith, who was seeking to block a retrial based on venue. Smith was convicted of stealing valuable information related to prime fishing locations. He argued that a violation of proper venue requires legal acquittal with no chance at a re-trial. However, the court ruled that when a trial is conducted in the wrong place, the proper fix is to retry the case in the correct venue. The ruling has raised concerns that prosecutors may be able to pick where they want to try a case without any real fear that an error in venue would let the defendant go free.