People v. Rivera — the Illinois Appellate Court Got It Right
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post discussing the pending case of People v. Rivera, in the Illinois Appellate Court. This case involved a horrible rape-murder of 11-year-old Holly Staker, committed in 1992. Juan Rivera confessed, but his confession made no sense and didn’t fit the facts. (For one thing, he stated in […]...
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Why Criminal Defense Lawyers Should Keep Their Mouths Shut
The circus at Penn State involving Jerry Sandusky and the allegations of child abuse has me just shaking my head. Now I read an article that really makes me wonder whether Sandusky’s criminal lawyer shouldn’t just sit down and shut up. In this article — published last week — Joe Amendola is discussing with the […]...
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George Huguely Jury Selection Procedures
Jury selection for the George Huguely murder trial will include a jury questionnaire — a rare, but very helpful, procedure that will allow the lawyers to learn a great deal about prospective jurors without taking up a lot of time....
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People v. Rivera — will the Illinois Appellate Court get it right?
The Illinois Appellate Court has a chance to do justice in the case of Juan Rivera, who was convicted of murder and rape even though the DNA evidence exonerates him....
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Criminalizing civil collections — an update
As I wrote in September, I have been concerned about how the Virginia General Assembly has been changing the laws to allow criminal prosecutions over matters that are really just civil debt collections. The particular problem that I wrote about was a statute in Virginia — Va. Code §18.2-118 — that is being used by […]...
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Criminalizing civil collections in Virginia
When should civil creditors be able to threaten to convict someone of a crime over what amounts to a consumer dispute? In Virginia, the General Assembly is giving squirrel-y businesses the right to charge poor people with serious crimes in an effort to get their money. Here are a few thoughts on arguments that lawyers can use to defend against those charges....
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Expungements and Pardons in Virginia
Getting a simple pardon from the Governor to allow you to go hunting or to carry a gun is not simple. If you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, though, that may be your only chance....
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