The ratification of the U.S. Constitution and the establishment of a federal government did not bring with it a federal prison system. Individuals who ran afoul of the federal government and ended up with a federal criminal conviction served whatever…
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION
Criminal Jurisdiction:
A Criminal Law Blog from a Defense Perspective
2018
Category: Identity Theft
What do we normally expect to happen at a traffic stop?
Maybe the police will give a warning for a broken taillight. Or write a speeding ticket. In more serious cases, they might make a DWI arrest.
There…
2018
Category: Federal Criminal Law | Sex Crimes
If you are charged with a sex crime, your case may be taken up by the state of Texas or the federal government. Depending on which court you have to appear, you may face different penalties suggesting that you hire…
2018
Again and again, the nation’s so-called “War on Drugs” has proven itself to be an extremely harsh system that does more harm than good. Harsh mandatory minimums, the draconian “three strikes” policy, and racial/ethnic biases on the side of law…
2018
Category: Appeals | Drug Distribution | Drug Trafficking
Federal/state drug task forces were established in the United States in the early 1970s. The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act institutionalized the DEA Task Force Program which has led to thousands of joint federal/state task forces being established in every state…
2018
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Prosecutorial Misconduct
In 2013, Eric Hillman was employed as an assistant district attorney in Nueces County, Texas. Mark Skurka was the duly elected district attorney for the county at the time. He was Hillman’s employer.
In 2014, Hillman found himself…
2018
Category: Appeals | Capital Crimes
The capital murder case of Roberto Moreno Ramos is extraordinary—not because of the crime that sent him to his death on November 14, 2018 in hands Texas death chamber but rather because of the international attention his case attracted.
…
2018
Category: Appeals | Criminal Law
In October 2013 Terri Regina Lang was shopping at an HEB store in Burnet County, Texas. She was observed by a store employee taking unpaid-for-items and placing them in a reusable shopping bag tied to her cart. When Lang went…
2018
The midterm election is in our rearview mirror, but it continues making news throughout the country. As of November 19th (almost two weeks after the election,) four races for seats in the House were still being counted, but coverage of…
2018
Category: Child Abuse | Sex Crimes Against Children
The mere allegation of a sex crime against a child carries immediate and lasting consequences:
Arrest
Conviction
Sentence
Fines
Restitution
Imprisonment
Possible civil commitment
Post-imprisonment supervision
Sex offender registration
These consequences do not include probable divorce, lost or…