Year: 2017
The number of exonerations in the United States rose again in 2016. Many of the wrongful convictions were in Texas and more than half of them were related to cases in which no crime was committed. The annual report from the National Registry of Exonerations found the number of exonerations rose to 166 last year,…
At the time of the men’s arrest, police interrogators threatened them with the death penalty. As reported in the Washington Post, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe recently pardoned four men who were wrongfully convicted of the 1997 sexual assault and murder of an 18-year-old woman. The police detective in charge of the original investigation is now…
When your blood pressure is spiking and your heart is beating out of your chest, it’s easy to forget your rights. No matter how many police or courtroom dramas you’ve watched, few things can truly prepare you for being taken into police custody or questioned by the cops. When your blood pressure is spiking and…
Extradition involves two countries cooperating to transfer an individual from one country to another to stand trial for a crime. Hollywood director Roman Polanski recently made headlines again when the Supreme Court of Poland rejected the Polish government’s request to extradite Polanski to the United States. The extradition battle has been ongoing since 1978, when…
The scope of hate crimes in Texas will expand if a bill to make all attacks on first responders hate crimes becomes law. The bill introduced in the Texas legislature would increase penalties for attacks against any first responder, including police, firefighters and EMTs, and make them hate crimes. Texas governor Greg Abbott spoke in…
Grand jury proceedings were originally designed to provide checks and balances against oppressive prosecution or potential witch hunts. If passed, a proposal that’s currently before Texas lawmakers would make it mandatory for prosecutors to share evidence that could help a suspect’s case with grand juries. According to a Texas Tribune report, two versions of the…
There is no question that flag-burning is controversial but should there be consequences when individuals choose to do so? Whatever your political leanings, you have probably heard numerous news reports about the aftermath of the presidential election, as well as the status of President-elect Trump’s transition into the White House. For Trump, who is a…
Those who oppose the law claim it has a chilling effect on the First Amendment. It may be hard to believe, but the social networking site Facebook has only been around since 2004. Since its founding, it has accumulated 1.86 billion monthly active users. The site has become a popular way to communicate with friends,…
It can be tough to put things into perspective when violent crimes dominate news headlines. According to the Pew Research Center, the public perception of crime rates in the U.S. is dramatically different than the reality. Crime has dropped by double digits since 2008, however, most people believe crime is actually getting worse. Here are…
An expanding investigation and allegations of a cover up of alleged sexual assaults at Baylor University in Texas have led to calls for Governor Greg Abbott to direct the Texas Rangers to investigate. Last week, Rep. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) filed a bill in the Texas House of Representatives urging the governor to get the…