Myself and a prosecutor (I’m a criminal defense lawyer working in a public defender office in Minnesota) spoke to a group of mystery writers last night. The prosecutor was actually the featured speaker although as we got into issues of criminal justice, the questions flew at both of us. Here are some of them:
1. We should just …
Question: What if I come to the rescue of a robbery victim and I chase the attacker to try to get back the victim’s purse. When I catch-up with
him he pulls a gun on me. Is it okay for me to shoot and kill him?
Is this self defense or murder?
This situation really happened in Minneapolis …
My client was guilty! No question about it. Seventeen year old, Jim, found his wife in bed with another man. Jim went beserk and kicked the other man out but did worse to his wife–he strangled her around the throat with his hands. Then, trying to avoid detection, he spray-painted her body in gang grafitti, and dumped her …
In San Francisco, Ellen Pao sued her former employer, venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins alleging sex bias in the hi tech industry. The case went to a long trial, but in the end the jury rejected all of Ms. Pao’s claims. See article in the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/technology/ellen-pao-kleiner-perkins-case-decision.html?_r=0 What does the verdict tell us about the state …
How many of you have served on jury duty and gone through the jury selection process?
Do you remember questions by the lawyers? Was it interesting? Probably boring?!!
Before a trial starts, several people are chosen from a pool of jurors. Those people will decide the outcome of the trial. But first, the group must be “whittled-down” to …
Has reality TV come into the American courtroom?
I’ve worked as a criminal defense lawyer and “have seen it all.” Those who work with me often laugh and say, “you couldn’t put these characters in reality TV casting—it’s too real. No one would believe it!”
Certainly, I’ve seen pain, tragedy, hopelessness, and sorrow, but there are hilarious things …
Over my lifetime, I’ve tried many jury trials—all criminal cases. After 30+ years, I’m so used to the process I over-looked something. It’s the biggest misunderstanding the public has about criminal trials–a trial in America today has nothing to do with innocence.
Most people assume that a jury will find the accused guilty or innocent (not guilty). Or …
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