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Hey, Can You Spare a Couple of Xanax Bars? National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction, or how a minor drug offense can ruin your life. Collateral consequences are the bad things that happen to a person convicted of a crime, in addition to the criminal penalties themselves (direct consequences). If you are charged… Read More »

For a good exploration of the idea of a trial as a truth seeking inquiry, I recommend an online essay by Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, described by Frontline as a clear and compelling explanation by renowned legal expert Alan Dershowitz on how there are several kinds of “truths” in a criminal trial — as… Read More »

Are criminal defense lawyers dishonest? Or, how can he say that with a straight face? We’re all familiar with famous cases where everyone knew the defendant was guilty before the trial ever started. The most infamous guilty criminal who walked is probably O.J. Simpson, acquitted for the murders of his estranged wife Nicole and a… Read More »

The Supreme Court issued three bad opinions this week, on immigration, health care, and Stolen Valor. Even though they struck down the Stolen Valor Act, they made clear again that lying under oath is perjury and there’s no constitutional right to do that. From Justice Kennedy’s plurality opinion: The same point can be made about… Read More »

Your name and address here June 22, 2012 Much thanks to “This ain’t hell but you can see it from here” Put your request into this form and send it with the official form NPRC has online; otherwise all you’ll get is the dates of service. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX This is a request under the… Read More »

How to Check Someone’s Claims of Military Service, Honors and Medals Here’s how the Stolen Valor project describes it: “It starts off simple enough. A casual mention of military service. And, oh by the way, a Purple Heart and a few other honors earned. How can you not trust a man who served his country… Read More »

The law has long recognized that “a man’s home is his castle,” where he has the right to use deadly force to protect himself, his family and property. The “stand your ground” or no retreat laws extend the protection to lawful persons outside their homes. Texas law on self-defense is found in Chapter 9 of… Read More »

From an article in Washington Times by David Kopel https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/2/debunking-the-stand-your-ground-myth/ The assertion that Florida law allows shooting whenever someone believes it to be necessary is a flat-out lie. The actual law of Florida is that “a person is justified in the use of deadly force” if “(1) He or she reasonably believes that such force… Read More »

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