The man accused of setting off a bomb at the Boston Marathon, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, has finally started trial in a federal courtroom in Boston. 
I’m sure you remember that he and his older brother, Tamerlin, (who died shortly after the blast and a police man-hunt) are both implicated in the detonating of a pressure cooker filled with deadly …
When a lawyer represents an accused person, which choices are reserved for the lawyer and which ones for the client?
Of course, in any lawyer/client relationship the people involved will determine who makes the decisions. However, in criminal cases there are two main decisions that only the client can make—
1. The decision to plead guilty or to …
People constantly complain about the long delays in court proceedings—and it’s true. There are many reasons why this happens. But one of the biggest problems is there are too many cases and too few resources for people coming through the courts. What can we do?
In the largest, busiest counties there has been a break-through toward handling this …
Since the economy muscled its way out of the Great Recession, many states are finding budget surpluses. This includes my state of Minnesota. Of course, everyone has descended on the legislature asking for some of the money. Of all the places to spend, I recommend funds for the court system. I’m biased because I work as a lawyer …
So what can I possibly add to the national debate about CIA torture? I can compare it to the practices that local police departments use to get confessions from suspects. I think you’ll be surprised at the direction and history these practices can teach us in the international arena.
Do police still use rubber hoses to get people …
I have worked for over 30 years as both a prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer—primarily with communities of color. Although I certainly don’t have any brilliant answers about the problems in Ferguson, MO, from my experience in the criminal justice system, there are three things I’ve learned.
1. Perceptions. The different perceptions between white clients and clients of …
What really happened with the Grand Jury in Ferguson, MO? Unless you’ve missed all news in the past few days, you probably know that several months ago, a white cop,Officer Darren Wilson, shot and killed an unarmed black man named Michael Brown. After riots, sit-ins, violence, and hours of media time, a Grand Jury was called to review …
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