The law is as much about procedure as it is about substance. Even the most seasoned criminal defense attorney can default on a critical issue by not following the strict rules of trial procedure. This issue was underscored in a…
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION
Criminal Jurisdiction:
A Criminal Law Blog from a Defense Perspective
2017
Category: Appeals | Capital Crimes
Defending a capital murder case is both difficult and stressful. Attorney/client communications, pretrial investigation and preparation, and presenting a plausible defense to the jury demand effective representation. The Constitution guarantees all criminal defendants the right to counsel and due process…
2017
Category: Federal Criminal Law | Fraud
Attorneys General have been known to lie. Last August former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane was convicted of lying to a state grand jury. As we reported last year, Kane’s downfall was tied to a web of political corruption that…
2017
Category: Appeals | Drug Crime | Federal Criminal Law
Vehicle traffic stops that lead to drug seizures pose a continuing problem for the courts to deal with. This is especially so in speeding cases.
Law enforcement stopping drivers of speeding vehicles has increasingly resulted in seizures of marijuana,…
2017
Category: Human Trafficking
Have you seen the recent video of Ashton Kutcher speaking at a Senate hearing? For many who only know him as the star of That’s 70s Show or Punk’d, seeing him speaking in a serious tone before the Senate Foreign…
2017
Category: Drug Crime | Federal Criminal Law
In response to the legalization of medical and recreational use of marijuana at the state level, the Obama administration through its Justice Department announced it would not pursue the enforcement of federal marijuana laws over the legalization of the drug…
2017
Category: Criminal Justice Reform | Prosecutorial Misconduct
In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court in Giglio v. United States informed prosecutors that they had a constitutional duty to disclose to criminal defendants any information that would impeach the credibility of government witnesses, including any financial benefits provided, promised…
2017
Investopedia defines a “Ponzi scheme” as a “fraudulent investment scam” that promises high rates of return. The scheme is built on the premise that the investments of original investors can be used to generate new investors with the promise that…
2017
Category: Internet Sex Crimes
Sentencing disparity in child pornography cases is an infectious virus undermining the integrity of the federal judiciary. We discussed this problem as far back as 2010. The problem has gotten worse.
This horrific federal sentencing problem was created, and…
2017
Category: Immigration Crimes
President Donald Trump has at every opportunity falsely stated that anywhere from three to five million illegal votes were cast in the 2016 presidential election. Neither he nor anyone else in his administration has provided the public, any law enforcement…