Texas residents can face serious consequences as a result of inaccurate warrants. One man spent an hour in a cruiser after a warrant for a charge dismissed 25 years ago came up in a police database. The same man was taken into custody and jailed in 2014, 2015 and 2017...
When slang and linguistics get in the way of criminal justice
In Texas and across the United States, ensuring that defendants are fully understood when they tell their side of the story is a tenet of criminal defense law. Unfortunately, this does not always happen in cases when individuals facing criminal charges communicate in...
First Step Act could help thousands of inmates
The First Step Act is a criminal justice bill that could help reform prisons in Texas and across the United States. The bill is the first step in what many believe to be the beginning of prison reform and has been hailed by both the president and the American Civil...
Bail decisions and racial bias in the courtroom
In Texas and across the country, black defendants may be at a disadvantage when seeking bail in criminal cases, especially if the results of a recent study can be generalized nationally. One study conducted in Miami and Philadelphia showed that both white and black...
Dealers and acquaintances being charged in fatal overdoses
Texas residents may be interested to learn that some states are beginning to prosecute individuals who are believed to be associated with a fatal overdose. These drug-induced homicide laws essentially put the blame for a person's fatal overdose on the drug dealer or...
Threat of wrongful conviction looms large for criminal defendants
Wrongful convictions may be high on a person's mind when they are charged with a crime in Texas. While many people grow up with a belief in the fairness of the criminal justice system, that belief can be easily challenged through firsthand experience or by learning...
Teens and Designer Drugs: A Criminal Defense Attorney Weighs In
While you may not be familiar with the phrase "designer drug," you've probably heard of drugs like ecstasy and rohypnol-both of which are common examples of designer drugs. Essentially, a designer drug has similar chemical and physical qualities to another controlled...
Supreme Court to hear case about cellphones and privacy
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case that could have implications for Texas residents and other Americans. The question in the case is whether police can obtain location information collected by cellphones and stored by service providers....
Study reveals that prosecutors treat black defendants worse
There has long been a racial divide in Texas among people who are charged with crimes. Numerous studies have shown that blacks are arrested and charged with crimes disproportionately over whites even though both races have an equal likelihood of engaging in criminal...