Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, nicknamed “Buddy” as a kid growing up in Hybart, Alabama, got his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1973. He practiced law in the mid-1970s before being appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District…
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION
Criminal Jurisdiction:
A Criminal Law Blog from a Defense Perspective
2018
Category: Illegal Pornography | Sex Crimes | Sex Crimes Against Children
Larry Nassar was once a prominent physician with USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University Athletics. His complete fall from grace occurred recently when he was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison for sexually assaulting hundreds of young female patients over…
2018
Category: Criminal Law | SCOTUS
Who controls the defense strategy in a criminal trial: the attorney or the defendant?
That is a question the U.S. Supreme Court will answer in its current term.
Normally, a defense attorney, once he or she accepts a…
2018
Category: Drug Crime | Drug Trafficking
A recent South Texas drug case involving multiple defendants illustrates the workings of concurrent/consecutive sentencing. The five defendants convicted in the case, including on drug trafficking charges, were sentenced to serve some of their sentences currently while others were ordered…
2018
Category: Police Misconduct
When two or more police officers are involved in a confrontational situation and someone is recording the confrontation with a cell phone, there will be inevitable anger, shouts, and weapons drawn.
That’s exactly what happened in the early morning…
2018
Category: Corporate Conspiracy | Corporate Fraud
Federal conspiracy laws are complicated, sometimes confusing. This post will attempt to break down the complexities for you, using examples and explanations of potential penalties you may face if charged.
Understanding Conspiracy Under the Law
The federal statute…
2018
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Prosecutorial Misconduct
There are two safeguards against prosecutorial misconduct during a criminal trial: a good defense attorney and an impartial trial judge.
Both failed Frederick Michael Baer during his capital murder trial for the brutal murder of a 24-year-old mother and…
2018
Category: Capital Crimes | Criminal Justice Reform
The n-word has a long, sordid history in this country. The African-American Registry says that, “Nigger is one of the most notorious words in American culture.”
The precise origins of the word in American culture is uncertain, but history…
2018
Category: Drug Trafficking | federal Sentencing
Sentencing in federal drug cases can sometimes pose difficult challenges for the judges imposing sentence. This was illustrated in a December 12, 2017 decision, United States v. Collins, by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
There was nothing especially…
2018
Category: Federal Criminal Law | Fraud | Money Laundering
Reputable media outlets have in recent months give credible voice to allegations that President Donald Trump and his team knew about money laundering in real estate deals before he was elected. As investigations by the Special Counsel and the New…