Readers may have noticed: there are a lot of headlines these days about police officer violence against criminal suspects. There are a variety of reasons for this, no doubt, but according to some commentators there is a term which appropriately describes one prominent...
City of Baltimore facing legal troubles over wrongful convictions, P.2
In our last post, we began speaking about the multiple lawsuits the City of Baltimore is currently facing in connection with wrongful convictions. As we noted, the litigation is a testament to the fact that the criminal justice system does make mistakes and that these...
City of Baltimore facing legal troubles over wrongful convictions, P.1
The criminal justice system, in case anybody was wondering, is not perfect. Mistakes do occur, not only in criminal investigations, but also in the legal process and in the ultimate outcome of criminal cases. The higher the stakes are in a criminal case, the more a...
Vehicle searches and your legal rights, P.2
In our last post we mentioned that it is important for motorists to have a basic understanding of their rights during traffic stops. First of all, it should be well understood that motorists do have an expectation and a right to privacy in their vehicle—albeit a lower...
Vehicle searches and your legal rights, P.1
Traffic stops are an important way for law enforcement agencies to fight crime. Think about it: if a police officer is able to pull over a motorist, he or she has the opportunity not only to question occupants of the vehicle about criminal activity, but to scan the...
How can an attorney help a defendant navigate sentencing guidelines? P.2
In this post, we want to continue our discussion of sentencing guidelines and how an experienced attorney can help advocate for a defendant with respect to guidelines, whether at the state or federal level. We’ll wrap up this discussion by speaking briefly about...