Author: Broden & Mickelsen, LLP
Murder rates are falling in most Texas cities. However, Dallas is a glaring exception to the rule as the homicide rate heads for a 10-year high. Last month, the city’s year-to-date homicide rate exceeded 135 deaths. The city is on course for the highest number of killings in a decriminalcade – over 220 – but…
Texas’ controversial cash bail system has been undermined by a series of recent court rulings. This month, Galveston was ordered to change its rules when a federal judge said defense lawyers should be at bail hearings for poor defendants. A federal district judge issued a temporary injunction in the latest phase of a 2018 lawsuit….
Randy Halprin has been on Texas’ Death Row for a decade for a high-profile prison escape that resulted in the killing of a police officer a decade ago. However, just weeks away from his scheduled execution attorneys say the trial judge’s alleged antisemitism may have tainted the case against Halprin who is Jewish. Lawyers representing…
Another mass shooting in Texas has reopened questions about some of the most liberal gun laws in the country. Seth Ator went on a killing spree that left seven dead and wounded 25 in and around Odessa in West Texas. The shooter was barred from buying guns but purchased his assault rifle in a private…
Many people who are charged with theft in Texas fail to take the offense seriously. Although theft is a property crime rather than a violent crime, you can still be imprisoned for the offense. There is no minimum threshold of value of the stolen item for the theft laws to apply. You can be hit…
It’s tough to get your life back on track after a DWI or another serious traffic offense. The unpopular Texas Driver Responsibility Program made it much harder for drivers. Fortunately for defendants who are picking up the pieces after a drunk driving conviction, the program will be scrapped from September 1st. According to the Dallas…
Harris County, the most populous place in Texas, has bowed to pressure to reform its bail practices and settle a federal lawsuit. County officials agreed with the move in late July, in a case Commissioner Rodney Ellis said was “as big as Brown v. Board of Education,” the Texas Tribune reported. Harris County has been…
In Texas, the age of adult criminal responsibility is 17. However, younger defendants can be tried as adults in certain circumstances. A judge in Dallas County recently processed a 16-year-old through the adult criminal justice system, stating the public required protection. Under Texas law, A person who is at least 10 years of age but…
Many people who rent-to-own furniture and other goods in Texas don’t realize failing to make payments can result in criminal charges or even a term in jail. However, a bill enacted this summer by the Texas legislature has helped close a loophole that allowed people who could not afford to make payments to be prosecuted….
Evading arrest or detention in a motor vehicle in Texas can be a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the circumstances of the crime. These crimes are often associated with police pursuits but you don’t have to be involved in a long chase to be charged with the crime. Over the weekend, a woman was…