Recently an inmate in Wyoming was released after serving 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Many states recognize the injustice suffered by the wrongfully imprisoned and require the state compensate the victim. When our system of justice fails it can have disastrous consequences for those…
Recently the Orange County Public Defender’s Office filed a 500 page brief with the Orange County Superior Court alleging that their client, Scott Dekraai, had his Constitutional Rights violated by intentional misconduct by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. In essence, among other claims, the OCPD says that prosecutor’s office…
No more DUIs? No more car accidents? No more driving on a suspended license? No more rites of passage like getting your drivers license at 16? You mean the DMV doesn’t exist? Well yes, there could be lots of benefits to the concept car coming out. What concept car you…
Imagine you are driving along and you get pulled over for a registration violation. The police officer asks for your cell phone along with your drivers license and insurance card. You say what? You have a right to have my cell phone?? The officer says, “oh yes I do. You…
Every year the National Trial Lawyers Association creates a list of the top 100 trial lawyers from around the nation. They look for the best and brightest of minds, those who have achieved the unthinkable in determining to fight for their clients’ best interests. The National Trial Lawyers Top 100…
Think secret bail hearings only exist in fiction? Unfortunately the answer is no, even though the 6th amendment to the constitution guarantees everyone the right to a public trial if they’re accused of a criminal act. The United States Supreme Court has long held that this right extends to pre-trial…
On November 8, 2013, the Los Angeles Times had a headline that read, “34 year wait for justice is over”. The defendant, Kash Register, was convicted of murder in 1979 on the testimony of a woman named Brenda Anderson. Register spent 34 years in State Prison maintaining his innocence. He…
Subvert the criminal justice system. Lie to the judge. Hide evidence. Sounds like a defendant in a criminal case doesn’t it? Who else could it be? If it isn’t the criminal defendant, it must be the much maligned criminal defense attorney, right? You know who he or she is, right?…
Is the government growing a conscience? Our previous blog post discussed the NSA’s very nasty habit of watching everything we do without warrants or permission, and then turning over their information to law enforcement agencies. Well when we asked “who watches the watchers”, it seems like we may have found…
How does the NSA surveillance scandal affect you personally? Most people take the attitude that the NSA snooping into everyone’s lives is harmless if you have nothing to hide. The problem is sometimes we don’t know we’re hiding something! There are thousands upon thousands of laws, and it’s impossible for…