For many of us, the holiday season is intended to be a time for celebrating with family and friends, a time of joy and merriment. However, few things can put a bigger damper on the celebrations quicker than a DUI arrest—and DUI incidents spike considerably over the holidays, compared to the rest of the year. Here in Southern California, the Los Angeles Police Department has already announced an increased number of sobriety checkpoints throughout L.A., from December 15 through January 1, as part of their “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Officer Inman of the Traffic Coordination Section explained: “This holiday season, drivers will notice increased enforcement watching closely for anyone who is driving impaired.… With extra travelers on the roads and people celebrating, we will likely see an uptick in impaired driving. The LAPD will be arresting anyone caught driving impaired.” Continue reading
Everything You Need to Know About Holiday DUIs
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SO, YOU WANT TO BE A CIRCUIT/COUNTY COURT JUDGE .....
THE CAPTAIN REPORTS ⚖:(MM - check out the emoji; that's supposed to be the scales of justice. You are no longer "the only blogger in the history of the Justice Building Blog to use an emoji").SO, YOU WANT TO BE A JUDGE ........ CIRCUIT COURT The Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) for the 11th Circuit has completed their interviews for the candidates wishing to replace retired Judge Rosa Rodriguez. The six names sent to Governor Scott include: Judge William AltfieldJudge Tanya BrinkleyJudge Carlos GuzmanAyana HarrisJudge Spencer MultackJudge Andrea Wolfson Governor Scott is expect to name our newest Circuit Court Judge by no later than January 27, 2018. COUNTY COURT The JNC has also completed their interviews to replace Judge Ivonne Cuesta and Judge Laura Ann Stuzin. They were both recently elevated to the Circuit Court. The 12 names that have been sent to Governor Scott are: Milena Abreu (current candidate for County Court Judge)Ramiro ArecesKarl…
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Penalties For Prostitution With A Minor In Minnesota
Prostitution and solicitation are penalized quite harshly here in Minnesota, but those penalties become even more severe if you’re caught engaging in a paid sexual act with a minor. The younger the provider is, the harsher the penalties are in Minnesota. Today, we take a closer look at the penalties for engaging in prostitution with a minor. Prostitution With A Minor In Minnesota As we noted above, the charges and penalties begin to get more severe as the age of the provider decreases. Here’s how Minnesota penalizes the crime of solicitation of a minor. Solicitation of a minor who is knowingly under the age of 18 but above the age of 16 for sexual contact, or agreeing to hire someone who you reasonably believe to be under the age of 18 but over the age of 16 for sexual contact, can be punished by up to five years in prison and fines up to $10,000, or both. Solicitation of a minor who is knowingly under the age of 16 but above the age of 13 for sexual contact, or…
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Hypothesizing causes of Dallas County Jail population decline
The Dallas County Jail has dipped to its lowest population in recent memory and local officials can't agree why. Admittedly, it's hard to pin down a cause, though Grits could also make the case that the total should be even lower. See Dallas Morning News coverage from Naomi Martin.The News placed some of the blame on declining numbers of arrests by officers: "Arrests by Dallas police are down. In 2017, Dallas police made roughly 4,200 arrests per month on average, city records indicate. In 2010, when staffing levels peaked, the department made 6,343 arrests per month."However, crime is also down from 2010, so it's possible there are fewer arrests because there is less crime.Plus, the number of cases processed didn't decline with the number of arrests, particularly felony cases which account for most pretrial incarceration. From the Office of Court Administration (whose data only goes through 2016), here are the recent total felony cases added to…
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Terrorist conviction and sentence upheld
Sami Osmakac was convicted and sentenced to 42 years in prison following a 10-day trial for attempting to carry out a terrorist plot in Tampa, Florida, and for possessing a firearm not registered to him. After the F.B.I. received a tip from a confidential informant a store owner selling trinkets and food items from the Middle East, reported that Osmakac asked about purchasing black flags referring to flags used by a variety of Islamist political movements, the store owner became a confidential source of information after gave Osmakac a job in his store. The F.B.I. began recording numerous conversations in which Osmakac discussed his plans to commit a several violent terrorist attacks in the Tampa area. Osmakac also made attempts to obtain guns from various individuals. Osmakac was charged in a two count indictment with committing one count of knowingly attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, specifically explosives grenades and similar devices in violation of 18 USC 2332…
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"Jury Finds First Batch Of Inauguration Protesters Not Guilty Of Riot Charges"
From NPR, via the NACDL news scan: "From the start, government prosecutors did not attempt to prove that any of the defendants had personally committed acts of violence or vandalism. Instead they argued that the entire group of protesters, many...
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Criminal charges filed against brother in Dekalb death
Families can often have surprising, complicated dynamics. Often siblings struggle to get along. However, conflict stemming from these struggles rarely results in violence. Despite this, a teenager in Dekalb now faces criminal charges following the death of his brother. The incident that ultimately led to a murder charge is said to have happened one evening in December. According to reports, police officers claimed they found the lifeless body of a 17-year-old on the steps of his home. Police believe that he was shot by his 18-year-old brother as a result of a dispute. The details of that dispute are unclear. Reports indicate that a video posted on social media prior to the shooting showed the older brother with a gun. Police also say that he threatened his brother in the days leading up to the alleged shooting. A younger sister was home at the time of the incident, and the parents arrived home soon after. Anyone who has a sibling has likely been involved in an argument with…
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ISIS Urges Increased Lone Foreign Attacks
As Donald Trump golfs in Florida, claiming credit for defeating ISIS, ISIS is gaining ground in Afghanistan and increasing media communications to its supporters urging them to make lone attacks in their home countries. Their English spelling... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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Hurt While at the Supermarket? Was Your Accident Preventable?
You just ran into the local supermarket to pick up a few things. As you’re walking down the aisle, a box falls off from one of the top shelves. At least that’s what you’re told. Apparently, you were knocked out when the box hit you in the head. You don’t really remember anything. And, now you can’t help but wonder if your accident was preventable. If you live in the Hudson County area, you may have visited any of the small or large area grocery stores. On one corner, there’s a Twin City Supermarket. Meanwhile, you could prefer a larger food store like Shop Rite. In Jersey City alone, your choices to pick up staple items range from bodegas to big chain stores. The best you can hope for is that they have some safety procedures in place. Supermarkets: Accidents Waiting to Happen? In some cases, it might seem that walking down grocery store aisles is akin to navigating through an obstacle course. For that reason alone, it’s not unusual for…
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Are Self-Driving Cars the Solution to Prevent Reckless Driving?
While car accidents and injuries are sometimes the result of dangerous roads, adverse weather conditions, and auto manufacturer defects, the most common cause is human error. Despite the efforts of law enforcement and extensive traffic safety public awareness campaigns, reckless driving behaviors such as distracted driving and driving under the influence continue to claim thousands of lives each year. Could self-driving, autonomous vehicles be the solution to the problem? Self-Driving Vehicles In a December 5, 2017 Forbes article on self-driving vehicles, the writer poses the theory that self-driving vehicles may be the most effective way of reducing the overall number of car accidents due to distracted driving and other reckless driving behaviors. Written half tongue in cheek, the article asserts the claim that by making driving an autonomous activity, drivers would be freer to focus their attention on other matters, such as their cellphones and other mobile…
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"Association of Childhood Blood Lead Levels With Criminal Offending"
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Credibility and Charisma for Criminal-Defense Lawyers
If jurors decide cases based on beliefs reached early in the case, how can we best affect their decisions? Ideally we will show them two things before the evidence begins: A story, and credibility. Maybe we’ll talk some other time about telling the story—what makes a good story, and how to tell it. Credibility is something that we should be attentive to every moment of trial. Every action—ours, our clients’, our staff’s, friendly witnesses’—should maximize credibility. Nothing will sink a case faster than lead counsel losing credibility with the jury. For that reason, if you can be the one show the jury why the prosecutor is not to be trusted you win twice. I consider credibility to be the same as trust to be the same as likability to be the same as attractiveness to be the same as charisma. In in-person transactions, if you like somebody you trust them and if you trust them you like them and if they are attractive (as opposed to…
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"The Duty to Retreat in the Founding Era"
Eugene Volokh has this post at The Volokh Conspiracy. In part: Well, it turns out that Founding-era views on this subject were rather more complex than our guesses -- based on our sense of their world-view -- might suggest. ....
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Typical Drug Bust Story
Drug Crimes Possession and Distribution Drugs / Marijuana in State or Federal CourtStories of Typical Drug BustsFrequently, we see drug busts for drug crimes when police conduct a simple traffic stop. Sometimes narcotics squads obtain a search warrant based upon someone tattling to the police. Sometimes they are using a confidential informant. However it happens the results are terrifyingly similar. A suspect is nabbed and taken to jail. Their photo is posted all over the internet and tons of junk mail arrives claiming an attorney can help. If a vehicle or real estate was involved, the county may seek forfeiture of the property. That must be addressed immediately, as the property can be taken, even though you have not been convicted!"Sometimes we find misconduct by the police, their informants, or the technicians at the drug crime lab"Within a month or so there will be a court appearance required. Florida has open court rooms. The media or an employer or…
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Exoneree Orlando Boquete to Return to Cuba for First Time in 37 Years
In 1980, Cuban refugee Orlando Boquete arrived to the United States by Mariel boatlift. Tragically, his newfound freedom and dreams of opportunity came to a halt when he was misidentified as one of two suspects who broke into a woman’s home in Stock Island, Florida, and sexually assaulted her. Boquete was wrongfully convicted of that crime and sentenced to 50 years in prison. In 2006, Boquete was exonerated with help from the Innocence Project. All the while, he longed to travel to Cuba to see his loved ones. Now, after nearly four decades of struggling through wrongful incarceration, immigration challenges and financial woes, Boquete is set to finally return to his home, but he needs your help. “I want to go back to my country because I left my son when he was 4 years old,” Boquete recently shared. “I want to see my family again and help the town devastated by Hurricane Irma.” Orlando Boquete, right, with exoneree and…
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1 Vehicle Crash WB I84@15, near Payette,ID with blockage
IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE - generated by our News Release ListServer DO NOT REPLY --------------------------------------------------------------------------- IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE District 3 Patrol 700 S. Stratford Dr., Meridian 83642 (208) 846-7550 Fax (208) 846-7520 For Immediate Release: 12/26/2017 @ 3:40 pm Please direct questions to the District Office The Idaho State Police is currently investigating a single vehicle crash westbound I84 at milepost 15, near Payette. The left lane is currently blocked. 4062 / 3490 -------------
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"No Trump windfall for private prisons yet, but some bet on gains"
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Forbes: What’s To Come As Government Surveillance Sunsets With 2017?
Forbes: What’s To Come As Government Surveillance Sunsets With 2017? by Frank Miniter: The FISA Amendments Act allows the National Security Agency (NSA) to view and copy emails and phone calls. It’s designed to let the NSA look for terrorists … Continue reading →
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Mother Jones: Pot Legalization Is Transforming California’s Criminal Justice Landscape. Here’s How.
Mother Jones: Pot Legalization Is Transforming California’s Criminal Justice Landscape. Here’s How. by Brandon E. Patterson: “Smoking pot while black” will probably still be a thing, though.
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Two Texas Businessmen are Charged with Wire Fraud over Alleged $1 Million Scam
White collar crimes in Texas can involve large sums of money and lengthy prison sentences. Recently, two men from Texas were indicted in an alleged $1 million real estate investment scam. Earlier this month, they were indicted in an operation that involved expensive cars, private jets, and religious deception, reported AP. U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox announced the arrests of 23-year-old Joshua Pugh of Dallas and 50-year-old Johnny Glenn Clifton of Frisco. The men were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The Investigators allege they claimed ties to the illuminati. These are clandestine groups which claim their members are gifted with special intellectual or spiritual abilities. The indictment stated the victim is religious and did not believe fellow Christians were capable of deception. Pugh and Clifton are accused of spending investment money on lavish cars and expensive travel. The indictments include a claim they paid someone $400 a month to put in…
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More Pages to Explore .....
