Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Homicides increased in many major U.S. cities during 2020, the pandemic year. Cities in Texas were no exception. This month, NPR reported on an alarming increase in homicides in 2020 which left many communities searching for answers given that the pandemic put many people on lockdown. Rising murder rates were recorded n Chicago, Los Angeles,…
Statement Regarding Garret Miller Clinton Broden, a partner in the law firm of Broden & Mickelsen, LLP and defense attorney for Garret Miller, releases the following statement on behalf of Mr. Miller: First, let me say that I was in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, because I believed I was following the instructions of…
The use of deadly force by police officers on Black suspects was a hot button topic in 2020. The issue will again come to the fore in 2021 when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals looks again at the case of the conviction of a former North Texas police officer who killed an unarmed Black…
The U.S. Government recently started executing inmates again. It reached a grim milestone this month with the news it has carried out more executions in a year than all states that have the death penalty – including Texas, a state that typically executes more people than any other. President Donald Trump resumed federal executions after…
Moves to strengthen Dallas’ no cruising laws to clamp down on prostitution and sex trafficking in recent weeks have provoked a lively debate. While supporters said an extension of the city’s ordinance would help police to tackle sex crimes, opponents claim they are a threat to civil liberties comparing them to maligned stop and frisk…
Illegal voting is taken very seriously in Texas and can land suspects in jail. A Fort Worth woman who claims she cast her ballot while she was ineligible is seeking to have her conviction overturned. Crystal Mason was sentenced to five years in prison for illegal voting. She cast a provisional ballot in the 2016…
Crime reform bills are again prominent in the upcoming legislative agenda in Texas. It remains to be seen how many proposals will eventually become law. The Texas District & County Attorneys Association, an advocacy group for prosecutors, recently noted of about 800 bills already filed ahead of the 2021 legislative session in Texas, 33 would…
Gun crime in Dallas has made headlines in recent years and prompted Gov. Greg Abbot to send in state police last year. Another spike in shootings means state police are returning to city streets. The weekend of Nov. 14-15 was the deadliest of the year in the city. Police responded to seven fatal shootings. The Dallas…
Prosecutions of white-collar crimes are often complicated, lengthy, and intricate. However, even by the standards of these offenses, the federal prosecution of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been a drawn-out affair. Paxton, a Republican, was indicted on felony security fraud charges in 2015. Five years later, the case has still not gone to trial…
Texas routinely leads the nation in sex trafficking crimes. The state’s massive size and its long border with Mexico make it the focus of major investigations into these offenses. This month, the North Texas Trafficking Task Force announced the arrest of a 46-year-old man on a count of promotion of prostitution and reckless disregard of…