In a local criminal sexual abuse case, lawyer Aaron Biber had pled guilty to having sex with a 15 year old boy. Under Minnesota law, he’s entitled to a sentencing hearing before the judge imposes the sentence.
The purpose of the hearing is for both the prosecution and the defense to present evidence about the accused and/or crime …
It’s easy to think that judges run courtrooms. After all, when they enter the public stands up, sits when they say it’s okay to do so, and lets them make decisions about vital aspects of our lives. Unspoken communication is important also. People ask the judge what he wants, they stop speaking if the judge starts talking, and …
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing Mark Bowden speak at William Mitchell Law School in St. Paul. As you may recall, Mark is the author of Black Hawk Down about the U.S. military’s defeat in Mogadishu in Somalia. It was also made into a film starring the Minnesota actor, Josh Hartnett.
Mr. Bowden’s most …
With the shrinking budgets of most state and local governments, the prosecution and defense functions in the courtrooms are threatened. Across the country, most prosecutors are funded by the local counties, while public defenders are increasingly funded by the states. Both functions are jeopardized.
At first, it seems obvious we need to support the prosecution function. After all, …
Should criminal defense lawyers seek justice in court?
I had the wonderful opportunity the other week to be invited to speak to our local chapter of Sisters in Crime, a national writing group composed of both women and men dedicated to supporting mystery writers.
They asked me to talk about my experiences as a criminal defense lawyer over …
Why focusing on mental health will decrease crime!
Have you noticed more street people lately? Wanderers, panhandlers, and even those bad musicians playing all over? (Careful there…I’m a musician and I always throw money into those open instrument cases, no matter how bad the musician!) How about the guy I saw yesterday sitting on a busy street wearing …
Have the Supremes given the police more power??
In the recent Thompkins case, the Supreme Court ruled that unless a citizen who’s under arrest as a criminal suspect actually says, “I don’t want to talk or I won’t talk without a lawyer,” police can continue questioning him for a long time..until they get a confession.
Suspect, Van Chester …
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