Most drunk drivers are pulled off the road by a police officer before the drivers cause any accidents. There are many times, though, when the police arrest someone for drunk driving after the driver caused an accident. The police are usually likely to arrest an intoxicated driver who causes a fatality – another driver, a passenger in the driver’s car or another car, a pedestrian, or a bicycle rider. In 2019, 167 people died in [...]
The saying, “Anything you say can be used against in a court of law,” given when anyone is arrested (as part of the Miranda warnings) is also good advice for any texts you send. Any texts that you write, even if you try to delete them, before or after an arrest may also be used against you in a court of law. The government must have authority to obtain the texts, the texts must be [...]
Possession of small amounts of marijuana used to be illegal in Maryland. The good news is that voters in the November 2022 election decided that enough was enough, approving a ballot question to make it legal for adults 21 and over to possess, smoke, and grow recreational marijuana. The ballot initiative applies to the possession of up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana. According to the Washington Post: Possession of fewer than 1.5 ounces of marijuana [...]
Driving under the influence is a serious crime that comes with serious penalties especially if it’s more than your first offense. Driving while intoxicated is not only a dangerous decision, but also one that can affect you for the rest of your life. From fines to jail time, to not being able to go to the college you want, get the job you want, or even the apartment you want, DUI charges have lasting repercussions [...]
With the exoneration of Adnan Syed making headlines, we are forced to contemplate how our judicial system could allow for an innocent man to be convicted of murder. We would like to think that everyone who is sentenced to years in prison is there because they deserve to be there for their wrongful and illegal actions. Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened, as there have been hundreds of similar [...]
Many of us are familiar with pardons because of Thanksgiving. It has been tradition for over half a century for the president to “pardon” a turkey from becoming someone’s Thanksgiving dinner. We all understand that to mean that the turkey is being granted reprieve from its fate. Many folks are less familiar with record expungements. Expungement is similar to a pardon in that it concerns an individual’s past crimes. With a pardon, you will no [...]
The United States is governed by a complex system of courts and branches that are meant to create laws in a fair and just manner through votes by local and state representatives. The Supreme Court is a part of our governmental branches that makes very important decisions that affect the entire country. It is reasonable that there would be a lot of thoughtful consideration and discussions when it comes to passing laws or making judgments, [...]
Different states have different rules for use and possession of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. The differences can make it hard to understand your rights if you travel to different states for work, for pleasure, or to visit friends and family. Do you need to take your medical marijuana card with you? Does it matter whether your marijuana is an edible product or a cigarette that you smoke? Are you okay if you fly from [...]
The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) is a federal law, passed in 1984, that increases the sentences for felons who commit crimes with firearms if they have three or more violent felony convictions or serious drug offenses. The Act provides that a defendant who meets the definitions under the Act receives a 15-year minimum prison sentence instead of the maximum 10-year prison sentence. Convicted defendants can also be sentenced to life imprisonment under the Armed [...]
In what’s being called a precedent-setting decision, Maryland’s highest court recently ruled that search warrants for cellphones and smartphones must be specific to the crime-related information being sought. What this means for individuals accused of crimes is that police and detectives can no longer search through the contents of an entire device, which often contains highly personal information – only content specifically listed in a search warrant that is relevant to the criminal activity at [...]
