Author: Mick Mickelsen
It’s important to remember that statutes of limitations vary from state to state. Statutes of limitations put a limit on how long a person can be prosecuted for a crime. These time limits also exist in civil law. For example, the statute of limitations for suing someone over a breach of contract is generally 10…
Texas criminal law makes it clear that a person can be convicted of perjury if they knowingly make a false written statement even when not under oath. Most people have a basic understanding of perjury. They know that it involves lying under oath, and most people picture this happening on the witness stand in a…
Many states have taken steps to ensure juvenile offenders in their courts are not slapped with a life sentence before they even reach adulthood. Should a teenager be sentenced to life in prison? It’s a question that has resonated throughout the criminal justice system in recent years. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that…
It’s terrifying to think that the nation’s most elite federal law enforcement agency could be so wrong on so many cases over such a staggeringly long period of time. Just a few years ago, the FBI admitted that serious flaws in investigatory practices used by its forensics unit led to nearly every examiner giving inaccurate…
The law comes about one year after a devastating attack on Dallas police officers in which five officers were killed. Beginning September 1, 2017, Texas joins a handful of states that have enacted so-called “Blue Lives Matter” laws, which make attacks on law enforcement officials, including judges, a hate crime. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed…
Mistrials happen for a variety of reasons. The Bill Cosby sexual assault case has dominated headlines over the past year. The case is complicated, as it involves thorny questions about statutes of limitations and whether Cosby previously admitted or acknowledged that he engaged in some of the behavior the plaintiffs accuse him of. When the…
As PBS reports, the cash bail system is the norm in most states, but it is not without its critics. Everyone had heard the term “bail,” but do you really know what it means? In most jurisdictions in the country, when you’re arrested and charged with a crime, the court has the option to set…
The way the law sees it children don’t have the ability to protect themselves. Getting pulled over for drunk driving is a scary experience and a criminal offense with potentially serious consequences. But what if you’re pulled over with a minor in your car? DWI with a child in the car in Texas takes that…
Shouldn’t the law compensate people who are put behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit? For many people, their worst nightmare is the idea of being locked up for a crime they didn’t commit. Sadly, wrongful convictions happen — and more often than you might think. In 2015, there were 149 exonerations in the United…
People sometimes wonder what rights they have when it comes to defending themselves and their property. Stand your ground laws occasionally make headlines when a homeowner or property owner prevents an intruder from entering their home. Because laws vary from state to state, and even the names for these laws can be different depending on…