by Webmaster | Aug 22, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
What would federal prosecutors have to prove in the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri? Some commentators have assumed that the police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, could be charged with a federal civil rights violation if he was negligent or reckless in...
by Webmaster | Aug 12, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
The United States Department of Justice under Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has filed a record number of criminal police-misconduct cases and aggressively uses civil laws to force reform at police departments across the country. Following a 3-year federal...
by Webmaster | Jul 29, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in 72 percent of the convictions overturned through DNA testing. In case after case, DNA has proven what scientists already know-that eyewitness identification...
by Webmaster | Jul 24, 2014 | Police Force Reform, Police Search
On July 22, 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced that the Newark, New Jersey Police Department will be overhauled and will come under federal oversight from an independent monitor after the Justice Department investigation found officers have...
by Webmaster | Jul 24, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
On July 18, 2014, The U.S. Sentencing Commission took a significant step to cut federal prison terms for drug offenses. The reform retroactively decreases the drug table set forth in U.S. Sentencing Guideline § 2(d) 1.1 by two-offense levels for all drug types. In...
by Webmaster | Jun 27, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
The US Supreme Court ruled that Aereo, an internet service provider that allows customers to watch broadcast TV programs on mobile devices, violates federal copyright law by retransmitting copyrighted programs without paying a copyright fee. Shortly after the service...
by Webmaster | Jun 26, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
Illegal to obtain cell site location information without showing probable cause. On June 11, 2014, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, as a matter of first impression, held that the Stored Communication Act, which allows the government to obtain cell...
by Webmaster | Jun 18, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
Before a federally licensed firearms dealer may sell a gun, the would-be purchaser must provide certain personal information, show photo identification, and pass a background check. To ensure the accuracy of these submissions, a federal statute imposes criminal...
by Webmaster | Jun 3, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
Synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as synthetic marijuana or “spice”, are often sold in legal retail outlets as herbal “Incense” or potpourri.” They are labeled “not for human consumption” to attempt to avoid Food and Drug...
by Webmaster | May 6, 2014 | Criminal Defense Law Articles
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). ICE places a high priority on enforcing laws that prohibit the sexual exploitation of children and investigate cases such as possession...
