The week after never. March 13, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Criminal Law , add a comment
When would you refer someone to a lawyer who lied to you?
We’re back! USA is #1! February 28, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Criminal Law, Law Enforcement , 1 comment so far Apparently we are fast becoming a nation of outlaws!
For the first time in U.S. history, more than one of every 100 adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America’s rank as the world’s No. 1 incarcerator.
Snake handlers are not afraid of snakes February 17, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Quotes , 1 comment so farI came across this pithy quote in a business article, but am surprised I haven’t heard it in a criminal context. In the right case, either the government or the defense could use it to describe the opponent’s witnesses (e.g., paid informants or shady alibi witnesses).
Uranium-Rich Farm Worth $10 Billion
“Snake handlers are not afraid of snakes.”
Public Defender Haiku February 3, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Attorney-Client, Constitution, Criminal Law , 1 comment so farPublic Defender Haiku
Through trial or plea
Even if you are guilty
I will defend you.
People often ask
How can you defend those folks?
Criminal lawyer.
Defend the accused?
Imagine if I didn’t.
There’d be no justice.
Sentence inflation February 2, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Criminal Law, Law Enforcement , 2comments This week I sat second-chair in the trial of a 32-year-old bipolar man accused of cutting a guard’s hand with a razor blade. He has 5 years left on his current sentence. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
A high-ranking officer testified that he ordered the man’s cell to be searched every 2 hours — day and night. If the defendant refused to wake up, be shackled, and come out of the cell, they sprayed him with chemical agents. Then they sent five men in riot gear into his cell to pull him out forcefully. This apparently went on for several months.
The officer said he didn’t know about any research concerning the harmful effects of sleep deprivation, and he wasn’t aware of any harmful effects. (But he grudgingly conceded that lack of sleep could probably make someone irritable.) Also, in his 16 years experience, he had never heard of any guard taking an inmate’s food, as punishment or in retaliation for bad conduct. He’d never even heard the prison lingo — jack the food — for this common inmate complaint.
He said all of this under oath, so it must be true.
Lawyer rejects $190,000 for 2 trials, 3 years January 13, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Constitution, Criminal Law, Death Penalty , 1 comment so far Here’s an interesting money-saving idea: Don’t pay the death-penalty defense lawyers.
That’ll show ‘em!
To take these (appointed) cases may interfere with the survival of these lawyers’ practices. I don’t think federal judges understand this.
Wig out! January 12, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Uncategorized , add a comment In 2008, the sun continues to set on the British Empire.
Judges in the former British Honduras are losing their wigs.
The white wig in Belize’s high courts, to many observers it seems one of the most jarring vestiges of colonialism, but owing mostly to Commonwealth tradition its use has persisted. But no more. When the Supreme Court open its new legal year on Monday, the wigs will be gone.
5 Factors Help Predict Psychosis January 9, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Criminal Law , add a comment Maybe this research into factors that help predict psychosis could be helpful during the mitigation phase.
The researchers identified five factors that could help predict the eventual development of psychosis. These included a family history of schizophrenia with recent deterioration in functioning; higher levels of unusual thoughts; higher levels of suspicion or paranoia; greater social impairment; and a history of substance abuse.
When two or three of these factors were present, the odds of psychotic illness jumped. Two factors increased the likelihood of psychotic illness to 68 percent, and three factors combined raised the risk to 80 percent.
The Rodney Awards: And the nominees are… January 7, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Criminal Law , 2comments Wow! I now know how Sally Field felt when she gave her speech at the Academy Awards.
It’s an honor just to be nominated.
This blog was nominated for a Rodney Award in three categories:
Best Blog Title,
Best New PD Blog,
and
Best Blog Title that Reflects Something About the Job.
P.S. It’s great to know that some people occasionally read this blog. And I’m thankful for the people who respond or post comments.
Are we falling down? January 6, 2008
Posted by Idta in : Criminal Law , add a comment Today’s New York Times suggests that being a doctor or lawyer has lost much of its prestige.
Still, something is missing, say many doctors, lawyers and career experts: the old sense of purpose, of respect, of living at the center of American society and embodying its definition of “success.”
The article also discusses people entering the workforce today, although I think it describes many people–not just those raised in the 80s.:
And they want immediate rewards — not exactly the mentality that will fuel a student through years of medical school, a residency and additional training for a specialty. “Their attention span, everything, is instant feedback: quick, quick, quick. Apprenticeship, these kids don’t want to do it.”
