Is the Trump administration giving the war on drugs a reboot? A recent press statement from Attorney General Jeff Session gives that impression.Specifically, Sessions has called for more severe penalties for drug crimes, including mandatory minimum sentences. Under...
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Criminal Defense
Are plea bargains generally in a defendant’s best interest?
A recent statistic confirms that plea bargains resolve the vast majority of federal criminal cases, around 97 percent. However, a recent article questions if courts should take a more active role in overseeing plea bargains.Under current practices, a court does not...
Improper police procedures may be your best criminal defense
Lawful procedures are vitally important to the criminal justice system. A defendant has a constitutional right to procedural due process, and a court may deem any evidence obtained by improper procedures to be tainted, and consequently inadmissible.Yet procedures do...
Juvenile Crimes: Actions & Consequences – a two-part series
In this second installment, we’ll take a closer look at juvenile crimes in Virginia. As a preliminary matter, the juvenile justice system has its own terminology, perhaps reflecting the rationale of rehabilitation. Indeed, lawmakers do not want a youthful indiscretion...
Juvenile Crimes: Actions & Consequences – a two-part series
According to a press statement made by the Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, there is an alarming increase in juvenile crime and gang recruitment.The article cited the example of a recent homicide of a Gaithersburg, Maryland girl. The...
Can social media postings be interpreted as criminal?
Most people probably don’t take their social media postings too seriously. However, there are situations that warrant more care, as a recent story illustrates.Specifically, a 16-year-old student in Washington, D.C. was recently charged as a juvenile with felony...
After your arrest, don’t answer questions without your attorney
Aggressive prosecutors might assume the worst from circumstantial evidence. They may even be able to convince a jury of an innocent defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Although juries may sometimes get it wrong, do some criminal defendants play a hand...
Can videos protect against warrantless police searches?
The Fourth Amendment protects against warrantless searches and seizures. In addition to that federal law, local jurisdictions may provide additional procedural rights.For example, D.C. law requires police to have a warrant to arrest a suspect for an alleged...
Is it smart criminal defense strategy to go to trial?
Is it good criminal defense strategy to reject a settlement offer and go to trial? Our Virginia criminal defense lawyers believe it unwise to provide a blanket answer to that question. Rather, we conduct a thorough investigation of a criminal case before coming up...
Is it gambling with your future to tur down a plea deal?
A criminal record is the last thing that a college student needs to think about. Yet that’s the predicament facing one 21-year-old junior at James Madison University. The student, a computer science major, allegedly built a software program capable of stealing...
