Notable cases
In 2016,Ali argued for the petitioner in Welch v. United States ,obtaining an 7–1 majority opinion that the Supreme Court's determination in Johnson v. United States ,which found the Residual Clause of the Armed Career Criminal Act was unconstitutionally vague,constituted a substantive rule change and was therefore retroactive. [13] [14] [15]
In 2018,Ali represented Louisiana prisoner Corey Williams before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Williams v. Louisiana. [16] Williams had been wrongfully convicted of capital murder in 1998 at the age of 16 and spent over 20 years at Angola Penitentiary. [16] In response to Ali's petition,the District Attorney agreed to immediately release Williams. [17]
In 2019,Ali argued for the petitioner in Garza v. Idaho ,and obtained a 6–3 majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court establishing that a criminal defendant has the constitutional right to an appeal that has been forfeited by his attorney even if the defendant's plea agreement states that it waives the right to appeal. [18] [19] [20]
In 2022,Ali argued for the petitioner in Thompson v. Clark ,and obtained a 6–3 majority opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh recognizing a federal cause of action against police officers who pursue false charges against someone. [21] [22] [23]
