Jonathan P. Sheldon

Mr. Sheldon focuses his work almost exclusively on criminal trials, criminal appeals and post-conviction in the state and federal courts. Mr. Sheldon is the author of the only treatise on habeas corpus and post-conviction remedies in Virginia: “Virginia Law and Practice: Post-Conviction Remedies in Virginia,” VaCLE 2020, and is co-author of “Trial of Capital Murder Cases in Virginia,” VaCLE 2019. Mr. Sheldon started his career as a law enforcement officer. After law school he gained a unique insight into the perspective and attitudes of federal judges by working on criminal appeals in his role as a pro se law clerk with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. Ten years later Mr. Sheldon took a year off from private practice to work as an attorney-advisor for the Federal Courts, focusing on advising attorneys on criminal appeals in the most serious cases. Mr. Sheldon recently served for three years as the Chair of the Virginia State Bar’s annual conference on how to defend a capital murder case. Mr. Sheldon has either appeared in or been asked to consult on numerous books and television shows, including CNN, CBS News, Law & Order, Larry King Live, Laura Lippman’s book I’d Know You Anywhere, and is featured in the 2013 book Fighting for Their Lives: Inside the Experience of Capital Defense Attorneys.

Education

William & Mary Law School – Williamsburg, VA. J.D. 1995
U.Mass, Amherst – B.S. in Mathematics 1987

Admissions

Virginia Bar
Massachusetts Bar (1996-2018)
District of Columbia Bar
New York Bar (1996-2010)
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals For The D.C., 4th, 5th, 6th & 9th Circuits
U.S. District Court for D.C., E.D. & W.D. of Va., E.D. & W.D. of Ky., & S.D. of Tx.

In The News

More In The News

Notable Cases (of the more than 30 cases that have resulted in published opinions)

In Re Calvin Cunningham, Conditional Release for Terminally Ill Granted (May 3, 2021)
In Re Daniel Ford, Parole Granted (December, 2020, parole granted in Fishback case, cutting sentence in half)
In Re Weneta, Pardon Granted (April 23, 2020, conditional pardon granted by Governor Northam)
In Re Dion Coleman, Parole Granted (April 10, 2020, parole granted in case of a life sentence for a wrongful conviction of robbery and murder)
In re Watford, No. 161187, 2018 Va. LEXIS 11 (Mar. 1, 2018) (granting Watford the first contested writ of innocence in the history of Virginia)
In Re Burns, Commutation Granted (December 29, 2017, commutation of sentence granted by Governor McAuliffe)
Contreras v. Davis, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11679 (E.D. Va. Jan. 26, 2017) (granting writ of habeas corpus for a new sentencing proceeding for a 15 year old sentenced to 77 years imprisonment).