A Trial Is Over The trial of Harvey Weinstein for multiple sex crimes has ended. Weinstein was acquitted of the most serious charges he faced, first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault, but convicted of rape in the third degree and of criminal sexual act in the first. These convictions entail a prison sentence—to be handed […]
Category Archives: Criminal Defense
The Stage Is Set Across the U.S., change in the law is underway concerning the right of people convicted of felonies to vote in government elections. Because each state deliberates this issue independently, the results vary between states, and sometimes even within states over time, as newly-elected governors modify or rescind outright the orders of […]
On any given day in a criminal defense firm, any variety of innumerable hapless victims of the criminal justice system walk could through the door. My use of the word “victim” to describe criminal defendants will likely send prosecutors everywhere through the proverbial roof. In criminal justice parlance, “Victim” is generally capitalized and has its […]
It was only a short time ago when you were lucky to have any video evidence in most criminal cases. Sometimes there would be some video from inside the jail, other times you might have a dash-camera from a patrol car that caught some of the interaction, but by and large there was no video […]
Wow. Look at you. Look at you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more decent, good-hearted, salt-of-the-earth-y human being in all my life. You are clearly a source of comfort and pride to your family, your friends, and your community, and I for one would be surprised if there aren’t people all over town who wake […]
New Legislation A new law is hitting the books in Colorado in January, and a lot of people are talking about it. The “Deputy Zackari Parrish III Violence Prevention Act,” one of the various “red flag” laws emerging across the country, will allow a concerned family member, spouse, roommate, or law enforcement agency to file […]
Defense Lawyers, Amirite? Over the year or so that I’ve worked for Colin and Russ, the subject has come up, most often with people outside the legal field but also once or twice with Colin and Russ themselves, whether I have a moral objection to the work of criminal defense. “What’s it like,” the non-lawyers […]
A Delicate Balance Contact with the police under U.S. law involves a shifting tension between citizens’ constitutional rights and the need to stop crime: the greater the imposition police make on someone’s privacy, the greater the cause they must be able to show for that imposition. Since evidence police collect during contact with citizens can […]
In my last blog, we talked about the pros and cons of talking to the police when under investigation for a crime. As a general rule, we concluded that the less said, the better. What about Miranda warnings? At least once a day, one of my clients will say “the cop didn’t read me my […]
Recently, there has been an increase in travel security at the borders. Not only have restrictions to travel been enacted but there have also been more searches, including searches of people’s phones. Unknown to most, Border Patrol and Customs agents have long had extensive powers to search when they have reasonable suspicions and often when they do […]