Crime & Federalism: Criminal Law

Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Criminal Law

Crime & Federalism

Discussing recent news and court opinions, with an emphasis on federalism, criminal law, and civil rights actions.

Post Frequency: 8.6/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 15:45:19

Americans Laugh at Freedom

Posted on December 06, 2009
Those who laugh at freedom deserve tyranny:

Best Buy Late Payment Scam

Posted on December 02, 2009
Why haven't corporations like Best Buy and HSBC been indicted for fraud?

Is Calling Someone a "Snitch" Defamatory?

Posted on December 01, 2009
A very cute case from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Michtavi v. New York Daily News (here).

Bradley Johnson, Seattle Spam Lawyer

Posted on December 01, 2009
One of the more obnoxious aspects of blogging is comment spam. Usually comment spammers are promoting Viagra or online gambling. Lawyers like Bradley Johnson have fallen to the lowest common denominator, littering legal blogs with spam. Back in September, someone promoting Seattle attorney Bradley Johnson left a spam comment at Popehat...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Celebrity or Community?

Posted on November 30, 2009
What the Tiger Woods situation should mean to you:

Tiger Woods and Tyranny

Posted on November 29, 2009
If Tiger Woods died today, would you be able to pay your mortgage? Would your kids still wake up? Would your dog still love you? Why care about Tiger Woods? We care about Tiger Woods because they want us to. Think about how many people are F5'ing the Drudge Report to see what's new with Tiger (we're all on a...

Post of the Year

Posted on November 29, 2009
This is the best post of 2009.

Cognitive Bias and Climategate

Posted on November 29, 2009
Did a whistle blower reveal hidden documents to the public; or was a hacker responsible? If your answer is, "That's a stupid question," then you are likely free of mind control. If the question makes sense to you, you're brain has been through too many spin cycles...

Credit Cards and Cognitive Bias

Posted on November 24, 2009
Tonight PBS's Frontline will air a fascinating article on how credit card companies manipulate consumers into bad deals. Some of the stuff is illegal, although some perfectly legal tactics rely on cognitive biases like optimism bias: "I used to use the word 'penalty pricing' or 'stealth pricing,'" [a credit card exec...

How Old is 15?

Posted on November 24, 2009
Great points from Dave Chappelle. Under the law of many states, a 17-year old is unable to consent to sex with her 18-year old boyfriend. In those same states, a 15-year old can be tried as an adult. If a person lacks the ability to understand the nature of sex, how can a person understand the nature of criminal acts?...

Law, Image, and Entitlement

Posted on November 23, 2009
"The definition of a narcissist is one who creates an identity and prizes it above all other things." Defining one's self in light of one's job is symptomatic of narcissists, and is common in lawyers. As if italicizing one's profession were not enough ("I'm a lawyer"), lawyers must create a stronger bulwark by calling everyone else non-lawyers...

The Life of an Economic Psychopath

Posted on November 22, 2009
Interesting look at Danny Pang.

Kurt Greenbaum, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Reporter, is a Fraud and Hypocrite

Posted on November 19, 2009
Kurt Greenbaum, a director of social media for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has answered an important question. Namely: "What happens when someone that knows very little about social media gets a job as a director of social media?" In answering the question, Greenbaum reveals himself as unethical and hypocritical...

Warren Buffett is No Folk Hero

Posted on November 17, 2009
Years ago Tom Kirkendall had an insight that no one had before - or since, it seems - about Warren Buffett. Called "The Buffett Rule," Kirkendall explained the media's reporting of Buffett thusly: "A folksy and media savvy businessman involved in complicated structured finance transactions is given a pass [when others go to jail and receive negative press for the...

Using Google for Legal Research

Posted on November 17, 2009
I begin every legal research issue the same way - with Google. Using Google just got better: As many of us recall from our civics lessons in school, the United States is a common law country. That means when judges issue opinions in legal cases, they often establish precedents that will guide the rulings of other judges in similar cases...

Deferred Prosecution for Aleynikov?

Posted on November 16, 2009
In like a lion, out like a lamb: In a court filing on Monday, federal prosecutors revealed that Aleynikov's attorney plans to seek a resolution of the case that could culminate in either a deferred prosecution agreement, or a plea to a reduced charge of a misdemeanor...

Facebook Saves Teen from Confirmation Bias and Flawed Eyewitness Identification

Posted on November 15, 2009
We got a black kid who was already in jail for armed robbery. Therefore, he must be guilty of an unrelated armed robbery. Oh, and we have an eyewitness identification. Let's send him to prison! Oops: For 19-year-old Rodney Bradford, a simple Facebook status update turned into much more: a rock-solid alibi after he was accused of a crime...

See a Narcissist Parent

Posted on November 15, 2009
Do check out this insightful post and fascinating comment thread. "Sparkylong" serves as the voice of insight and reason. "Turk" plays the role of narcissistic father. The post and thread reminded me of a brilliant insight from The Last Psychiatrist: "[Today's parents] secretly read their kid's email and MySpace accounts, but have never once read the kid's math book...

Is it Legal for Lawyers to Use GPS Tracking?

Posted on November 15, 2009
Tracy J. Hasper and Gordon F. Lull, both of Batza & Associates Inc., have this lengthy and interesting article discussing the legal issues of GPS tracking. Check it out (.pdf).

Obama Gives $33 Billion to Home Builders

Posted on November 14, 2009
Rarely does news shock me. The corruption is so thick...How can one be surprised? Barack Obama has given us a reason to sit in awe: ON Nov. 6, President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 into law, extending unemployment benefits by 20 weeks and renewing the first-time homebuyer tax credit until next April...

Judge Manuel Real at it Again

Posted on November 13, 2009
What does it say about the judiciary's ability to self-police when Judge Manuel Real is still on the bench? A federal appeals court today criticized U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real for his handling of $33.8 million entrusted to him for victims of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, calling his accounting ?curious? and ?filled with cryptic notations? that failed to...

Aleynikov Hearing on Monday: Facciponti's Unanswered Questions

Posted on November 12, 2009
Will AUSA Joseph Paul Facciponti indict Aleynikov - who was arrested less than 48 hours after Goldman Sachs reported him for alleging stealing trade secrets? (When Goldman calls: Arrest first, investigate later.) Or will Facciponti ask for another 30-day continuance? When is a federal judge going to stand up to Facciponti? Facciponti already lied in federal court...

Veteran's Day is a Time for Narcissism

Posted on November 11, 2009
"Oh, thank you so much soldiers for serving and risking your lives. Yes, thank you. Oh, sure, I haven't written a single check this year to any veteran's-related charity. I care, though, dammit! I support the troops!" Yes, indeed, you do care. You care about how people perceive you...

Bear Stearns Not Guilty

Posted on November 10, 2009
The two former Bear Stearn fund managers have been found not guilty. Details here. That is unsurprising. The prosecution against them was frivolous, for reasons I discussed in this post.

Sometimes It's Better Not to Appeal

Posted on November 10, 2009
In the federal courts, court-appointed lawyers in complex cases must have their fee requests judicially approved. Spokane lawyer Gerald R. Smith requested a large fee request for a court-appointed case - over $46,000. The trial court hinted that Mr. Smith's performance was not worthy of $46,000: [T]he Honorable Justin L...

Speciesism and the Death Penalty

Posted on November 09, 2009
Is it intellectually consistent for a death penalty abolitionist to feed her dog? There are those who claim that the death penalty is always wrong. It doesn't matter if the criminal tortured his victims for days before killing them. It doesn't even matter if the criminal enjoyed it...

Should Teenagers be Sentenced to Life Imprisonment?

Posted on November 09, 2009
The Supreme Court will soon decide whether its constitutional to sentence juveniles to prison for life, for crimes less than murder. Scott Greenfield thinks that constitutional issues aside: LWOP for kids at all, no less for crimes short of murder, is just nuts...

Prosecutors Should Feel the Chill

Posted on November 06, 2009
Sometimes someone says something so crisp that one can only feel awe and jealousy. Justice Sotomayor put me and everyone else to shame during oral arguments in Pottawattamie County v. McGhee. �� During the oral arguments in Pottawattamie, Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito and Breyer kept niggling over the alleged ?chilling effect? that allowing a lawsuit to proceed against...

A Human-Sized Duffel Bag

Posted on November 06, 2009
I laughed out loud at this: [The defendant] challenges a number of the district court?s factual findings and argues the findings do not establish that officers lawfully conducted a protective sweep of the garage during which they observed an open duffel bag containing marijuana...

Federal Judges Demand DOJ Reform Discovery Practices

Posted on November 06, 2009
Federal judges are standing up to the United States Department of Justice: Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia says he's "radicalized" when it comes to prosecution disclosure obligations. He is a proponent of a federal rule that clearly spells out the government's obligation to turn over favorable evidence to defense lawyers...

Previous | Next