If you were arrested for a criminal offense, have you consulted with an attorney about the circumstances leading up to that arrest? Even seemingly impartial police tactics, such as traffic stops, may have vulnerability to a legal challenge. Specifically, a recent article questions whether traffic stops are racially biased. As background, a police officer generally […]
Can someone charged with a violent crime get a fair appeal? Procedural due process should be afforded to all criminal defendants. Yet a Tennessee woman’s predicament illustrates the challenges in bringing such an appeal. The woman was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, relating to the deaths of her infant twins. That conviction was […]
In the criminal justice system, a trial verdict is not necessarily the final word. Indeed, there are a variety of post-conviction proceedings that might be of benefit to a criminal defendant. As background, there are instances where a court might schedule a separate sentencing hearing instead of deciding upon a sentence immediately after the defendant […]
The efforts of the brave men and women who serve in law enforcement deserve to be commended. They are often called upon for service that exceeds the normal call of duty. At the same time, they are only human, and may make mistakes. As a law firm that helps clients with post-conviction relief and appeals, […]
Regardless of the criminal charge, an accused has a right to a fair trial. This principle of the American justice system is aptly illustrated in a recent example. In a highly controversial and pending child pornography case, the defendant was able to obtain a procedural victory. Specifically, investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation used […]
The road to an appeal can be long, as a recent story reminds us. Specifically, the story profiled a 63-year-old Tennessee man’s request for a new trial. The man alleges that a missing pretrial transcript was not considered by the Court of Appeals. The mistake may be traceable to the man’s first attorney, who did […]
