In 2008, the Troubled Asset Relief Program allowed the U.S. Treasury to send $250 billion to banks that bought and insured bad assets and equity. A recent study conducted by the University of Cambridge and Stanford found that these same…
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION
Criminal Jurisdiction:
A Criminal Law Blog from a Defense Perspective
2018
Category: Drug Crime | Opioid Addiction
Research has shown that tougher penalties do not deter drug abuse; that harsh penalties tend to affect the wrong people.
Against that backdrop, it is not surprising that federal lawmakers are trying to increase penalties for drug crimes related…
2018
The Golden State Killer (GSK), as he was dubbed by the media, went on a prolific crime spree in ten northern California counties between 1974 and 1986, murdering as many as 13 people, committing 45 or more rapes, and burglarizing…
2018
Category: Immigration Crimes
It has been the law in this country for decades that if a lawful permanent resident is convicted of an “aggravated felony,” the offending individual is subject to removal from the United States. The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) defines…
2018
Category: Immigration Crimes
The 2016 election and the Trump presidency have raised many topics of social debate among Americans, none more heated and controversial than immigration.
President Trump asserts that undocumented immigrants are more likely to commit crime, and that by allowing…
2018
Category: Internet Sex Crimes | Sexual Harrassment
In 2015, at the behest of State Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, the Texas Legislature enacted Texas Penal Code, Section 21.16(b)—more commonly known as the “revenge porn” statute. In short, § 21.16(b) creates four elements that constitute a violation of the…
2018
Category: Illegal Pornography | Sex Crimes Against Children
Playpen operated a “dark web” site that served, until it was shut down by the FBI, as a Walmart for child pornography. The clandestine website required a “mask” before a user could access the computer housing the site. That mask…
2018
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Criminal Law
As we pointed out last month, the bail system in the State of Texas is riddled with inequities. The bail system, with the acquiescence of county magistrates and judges, has become so corrupted that the constitutionally guaranteed right to bail…
2018
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Criminal Law
Hatred has become a multi-million dollar industry in America. It is a subject we have spoken to on several occasions (here and here). In fact, hate groups in this country have scoped Islam as their favorite target upon which to…
2018
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | terrorism
Omar Mateen’s shooting rampage at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida on September 14, 2016 left 49 people dead and another 53 seriously injured. The New York Times called the mass shooting “the worst terrorist attack on American soil since…