Julian Assange is a complex character whose work at WikiLeaks has attracted enemies from divergent political parties, movements, and elected officials worldwide. Regardless, the relentless persecution of Mr. Assange and the threat it forbodes for freedom of the press and…
Author: John Floyd
2021
The Twin Towers terror attacks on September 11, 2001, changed America’s Center Intelligence Agency (CIA) forever. The “agency,” especially during the height of the Cold War and its waning years, has a sordid history of either engaging in or supporting …
2021
Category: Bail / Bail Laws | bail reform
Starting December 2. 2021, posting bail in Texas is going to be a lot more complicated.
This year, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that is designed to keep those who have been arrested with a…
2021
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Defense of Property | Homicide/Murder | Self-Defense
The nation is watching two trials involving four defendants who killed three innocent people who posed no threat to them: the Kyle Rittenhouse trial underway in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the Ahmaud Arbery trial underway in Brunswick, Georgia. Each defendant is…
2021
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Prisoners Rights
The 2021 Texas Legislature was no different than its predecessors. The Republican-controlled body passed another 666 new laws that became effective on September 1—most of which did very little, if anything, to improve public safety or enhance the quality of…
2021
Category: Appeals | Criminal Law | Homicide/Murder
In the late afternoon hours of August 1, 2015, Christopher Rion was driving his Dodge Challenger in Dallas, Texas, when he collided with a Toyota Highlander. The collision left the Highlander driver, Claudia Loehr, and a passenger, Claudena Parnell, seriously…
2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased paranoia, hatred, and violence in the United States.
In an October 21, 2021 article in Forbes’ digital magazine, business writer Robert Hart cited a recent Scientific Reports study that found gun violence increased during…
2021
Category: Crimes Against Children | Sex Crimes Against Children
Michael Charles Hill was convicted by a Hunt County, Texas jury in April 2012 for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. He was sentenced to consecutive(stacked) life terms. A grand jury had indicted Hill in…
2021
Sex offenses are among the most severe in Texas. If you or someone you love is accused of a sex crime in this state, they will face, if convicted, harsh sentencing and extreme sex offender registration upon release. Unfortunately Texas…
2021
Category: Drug Crime | Drug Trafficking | Guns | Weapon Crimes
Crimes committed in Texas sometimes become federal prosecutions. Generally when the federal government assumes jurisdiction over criminal cases the penalties and the actual amont of time spent in prison will be more severe than under the Texas legal system. More…