The August 9, 2014 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, an African American, in Ferguson, Missouri by a white police officer named Darren Wilson during a street stop unleashed local civil disobedience and a violent, militarized police response. This tragic shooting…
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION
Criminal Jurisdiction:
A Criminal Law Blog from a Defense Perspective
2018
Category: Police Misconduct
It is horrific enough for a woman to be sexually assaulted, but the injury is compounded when those who are charged with protecting the victim and investigating the case, continue the abuse.
In the early morning hours of June…
2018
Category: Computer Crime | Cyber Crimes | Fraud
As technology becomes ever more integral to society, cybercrime expands. An increasing number of criminals are turning to cybercrime to make money. They are becoming more creative in finding means to ply their trade.
Case in point: the FBI…
2018
Category: Criminal Law | Federal Criminal Law
It has been reported in multiple news sources and case law that roughly 97 percent of all federal criminal defendants plead guilty. The overwhelming majority of these pleas are the product of an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Like…
2018
Category: Constitutional Law | Police Misconduct
The militarization of law enforcement in the United States began in earnest in 1990 when Congress enacted Section 1208 of the National Defense Authorization A(“Act”) which authorized the nation’s Defense Department to transfer surplus military equipment (such as small arms…
2018
The law seeks the truth; science seeks the facts. The two frequently clash in a court of law.
The Texas Rules of Evidence permit two kinds of opinion testimony—lay and expert. Rule 701 permits the lay testimony of the…
2018
Category: Appeals | Criminal Justice Reform | Police Misconduct
There are several indisputable core facts about the case of Susan Mellen.
First, the burned body of Rick Daly was found near a dumpster in San Pedro, California on July 21, 1997. Anonymous tips to the Los Angeles…
2018
Category: Federal Criminal Law | Fraud | Racketeering | RICO
Eight members of the MS-13 gang were recently indicted in Texas on racketeering charges including racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering,…
2018
Category: Appeals | Drug Trafficking
Raymond Baker was convicted in December 2015 in U.S. district court in the Northern District of New York for conspiracy to distribute drugs. Several weeks after the conviction a juror sent Baker’s attorney an email making two allegations of misconduct…
2018
Category: Constitutional Law | Criminal Justice Reform | Criminal Law
Earlier this year we posted an article about a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld much of a federal district court ruling that dismantled the antiquated Harris County bail system. We made this observation in that post:
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