Year: 2017
As PBS reports, the cash bail system is the norm in most states, but it is not without its critics. Everyone had heard the term “bail,” but do you really know what it means? In most jurisdictions in the country, when you’re arrested and charged with a crime, the court has the option to set…
The way the law sees it children don’t have the ability to protect themselves. Getting pulled over for drunk driving is a scary experience and a criminal offense with potentially serious consequences. But what if you’re pulled over with a minor in your car? DWI with a child in the car in Texas takes that…
Shouldn’t the law compensate people who are put behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit? For many people, their worst nightmare is the idea of being locked up for a crime they didn’t commit. Sadly, wrongful convictions happen — and more often than you might think. In 2015, there were 149 exonerations in the United…
Professional football players are no strangers to run-ins with the law. In the latest case to hit the headlines, Damien Wilson of the Dallas Cowboys was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a weapon. The linebacker was arrested on two counts aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly backed his truck into…
Leading Lawyer Mick Mickelsen Explains Why experience matter in Federal Criminal defense cases if you have been watching Netflix Making a Murderer! When you’re a criminal defendant, it’s normal to feel frightened about the outcome of your case. In a federal criminal appeal, however, the stakes are much higher. You’re asking the appellate court to…
Simply being accused of a sex-related offense is enough to derail their life. Sex offender registration laws vary from state to state, but they are almost uniformly tough and restrictive. In many cases, these laws dictate where an individual can live and work. Recently, one state attempted to stop registered sex offenders from using Facebook….
Another fatal shooting of a police officer in San Antonio has highlighted violence against law enforcement officers in Texas. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state flags to be lowered to half-staff in San Antonio to honor Officer Miguel Moreno. He was killed in a shoot-out last Thursday and died a day later. Moreno…
Technology often makes life easier, but is it always a good thing? Computers have become such an integral part of daily life that it’s hard to imagine life without them. It’s also hard to believe that just a few decades ago there was no email or internet. Today, however, technology plays a major role in…
The question of mandatory reporting gets murkier when the alleged crime takes place online. The brutal sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl on Facebook Live in March 2017 is raising important questions about whether individuals who view a live stream of a criminal act should be held criminal responsible for failing to report it. According…
Criminal justice experts have stated that treating teenagers as adults in the criminal justice system is detrimental for both the young people involved and the states. In Texas, along with a handful of other states, 17-year-olds accused of criminal offenses are automatically tried as adults. Texas lawmakers have introduced two bills that propose raising the…