A pattern has emerged: the use of statistics showing low ratios of criminal convictions to criminal reports to support criticism of the U.S. legal system. How, the implication goes, can we trust the law we live under when Department of Justice surveys indicate that only 22 out of 619 robbery reports end in felony convictions, […]
Category Archives: Criminal Defense
We realize there is a chance you were buried in a mudslide several weeks ago and have only now tunneled out into the light of day. First of all, if so, welcome back! Second, you have some catching-up to do with Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, which we think makes apposite a review of the Supreme […]
As Chris Watts of Colorado awaits trial for the murder of his pregnant wife Shanann and their two young daughters, speculation abounds whether the case may end in capital punishment, though so far the prosecution neither confirms nor denies that it will seek that result. Colorado, rightly cautious about death sentences, has not carried one out […]
Colorado law gives judges the authority to hide information about court cases from the public, information ranging from the least important details to the very fact of the cases’ existence. Judges use this power either by a procedure called sealing, which has strict limits set out in state codes, or by orders of suppression, which […]
Paul Manafort is President Trump’s former campaign chairman who is currently the defendant in two upcoming trials on money laundering and bank fraud. On Friday, a judge ordered he spend the rest of his pretrial period in jail. The accusation which led to this pretrial charge is witness tampering. The Judge determined that since there is no […]
The Supreme Court recently overturned a long standing sport betting act called PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) which was originally enacted in 1992 by President Bush. This act essentially banned betting on sports at the federal level. However the repeal of this act does not necessarily legalize sports betting across the country. What […]
Distracted driving is a highly dangerous activity that rivals the risk taken when drinking and driving, which we have discussed before here. One of the main distractions is texting, most often by teenagers. But despite the risks, motivating teens to stop texting has proven difficult. However, a new study indicates we could change teen habits more […]
Freedom versus safety is a common and important debate that informs how we design laws and regulations, but when it comes to kids, the questions become more sensitive. What are reasonable boundaries to set and at what ages? Utah has passed a law eliminating a set age limit for kids to participate in certain activities. […]
Medical marijuana has been legal in Hawaii for quite some time, and as with most medical states, this means screening individuals to allow them to obtain a prescription and also registering them as medical marijuana patients. But Hawaii’s medical registry is different in that it not only confirms the medical access for the patient, but […]
Alexis Bortell is a 12 year old girl who suffers from epilepsy. Most of her life she experienced frequent seizures and the treatments she used did not alleviate her symptoms. Then the family doctor in Texas suggested they try cannabis. Just a small morning and evening dose of THC oil has allowed Alexis to live seizure […]