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Criminal Law

The Matlock Blog

Insights, updates and news on criminal law in Texas and the 5th Circuit.
By Shawn Matlock

Post Frequency: 0.9/day

Last Entry: July 28, 2012 at 20:23:07

I stand corrected, again

Posted on May 07, 2009
Just ask my wife, I screw things up. Yesterday, I wrote about how the "Resign to run" provision of the Texas Constitution didn't prohibit a sitting District Judge from running for District Attorney unless the judge resigned the bench. I...

Resign to run?

Posted on May 06, 2009
With the appointment of Joe Shannon to be the interim Tarrant County District Attorney, the question of who will ultimately be the next D.A. is the hottest question in the courthouse. It's been reported that Shannon would accept the position...

Politics or pragmatism?

Posted on May 05, 2009
Word out of Austin is that longtime Assistant District Attorney, and former Democratic state lawmaker Joe Shannon will be appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the remainder of the late Tim Curry's term as Tarrant County District Attorney. Shannon's appointment...

Will coattails be a bad thing?

Posted on May 01, 2009
In the wake of the death of longtime District Attorney, Tim Curry, Tarrant County will have a new District Attorney for the first time in 36 years. Who will it be? At the present time, longtime first assistant Alan Levy...

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Because it never gets old This

Posted on April 27, 2009
Because it never gets old This is for the attorney/ firm that told my client her Second Degree Felony drug case would be 1-800-Dismissed if she hired them. You know who you are. I'm coming for you.

Tarrant County District Attorney Tim Curry, dead at age 70

Posted on April 24, 2009
Long-time Tarrant County District Attorney Tim Curry died this morning at his home after a long fight with lung cancer. Diagnosed in mid-2008, Mr. Curry had been undergoing an aggressive form of cancer treatment. For the last several months, Mr....

Ten Rules when Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney

Posted on April 23, 2009
For most people, being involved in the criminal justice system is likely the most stressful, intimidating, and potentially ruinous situation within which they have ever found themselves. People like this have likely never had a use for a criminal defense...

Ask the experts: Judge Sharon Keller has to go

Posted on April 22, 2009
Here's an interesting twist in the ongoing saga of whether Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. It seems those that actually know legal ethics seem to think Judge Keller is, well, ethically challenged. In a...

Hey, it could have been worse. Right?

Posted on April 03, 2009
Yesterday, down in the sticks Johnson County, a man was sentenced after being convicted of six counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, four counts of Indecency with a Child, and two counts of Sexual Performance by a Child....

Finally

Posted on March 31, 2009
This has absolutely nothing to do with law whatsoever. But I'm so giddy, I can't help myself. My favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, have finally made the move to correct one of their biggest mistakes in the last three years....

When did you stop beating your wife?

Posted on March 30, 2009
Domestic violence is bad. It is. I'm not sure you'll find anyone that condones it. But in many respects, this is true with any criminal activity. But like its cousin, DWI, Domestic Violence is often a politically-charged crime. It plays...

Judge Keller Blames the Victim

Posted on March 25, 2009
One thing that defense attorneys often do that most prosecutors despise is to blame the victim. We put the victim on trial. If we can blame the victim for the predicament our client is currently in, then perhaps we can...

Federal Criminal Defense

Posted on March 23, 2009
They say "Death is different." This references the specific requirements for handling a death penalty case. The same is true for federal criminal defense. Bottom line? If you don't know what you're doing in federal court, it's probably not the...

Election time....sort of

Posted on March 10, 2009
I love election time. What a great time during the year. Along with opening day at the ballpark, it's one of those truly American days. Of course, it's March after an election, so why am I talking about an election?...

of choices and chances

Posted on March 06, 2009
There is a process called the jail run. I'm not a fan. Not so much in terms of principal, but rather because I find that I am personally ill-suited to do much good there. Essentially, a judge will bring to...

And the hits just keep on coming

Posted on March 01, 2009

Random Musings

Posted on February 24, 2009
Sometimes, I just don't have a lot to talk about from a legal standpoint. It happens. But don't think I don't have anything to write about. No such luck for you. So, I offer you my random musings. Although, I'm...

Who would you rather defend? The Sharon Keller Edition

Posted on February 20, 2009
Almost a year and a half ago I posted a relatively simple question: Who would you rather defend? In the post, I relayed a question posed to me by a college friend of mine. Essentially, the question was, of the...

Judging the judge

Posted on February 16, 2009
All jokes aside, sometimes judges do things that require them to be judged. To be held to a higher standard. To be called upon to act at a higher level than the general public. Some, if not many, might call...

I'm so board

Posted on February 15, 2009
Is being board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization any different than saying you are a former prosecutor? Does it make you a better attorney? Is it any more than just a marketing ploy? I?ve tried enough cases,...

I'm just not that in to you

Posted on February 04, 2009
There seems to be a perception that clients (or perhaps more appropriately, potential clients) possess all of the bargaining power when choosing an attorney. I think this is based on the idea that the client needs an attorney and the...

Anxiety is the difference between "now" and "then"

Posted on February 03, 2009
Strange things happen when you study psychology in college and then go on to become a trial lawyer. You start trying to figure out the psychology of your jury. You start evaluating your case from the psychological perspective of your...

No thank you. I'm driving.

Posted on January 29, 2009
You really have to hand it to those Texas legislators. I feel warm and fuzzy knowing they are doing everything they can to ensure Texas is a great place to live and work. And if State Representative Chente Quintanilla of...

Next?

Posted on January 28, 2009
Apparently, there are currently 55 vacant federal judicial openings awaiting President Obama. Of those 55, 19 are considered "Judicial Emergencies." A "Judicial Emergency" is actually defined, courtesy of www.uscourts.gov, as "Circuit court any vacancy in a court of appeals where...

My Client's a Moron, But That's Not Against the Law

Posted on January 27, 2009
Ah, yes. One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, A Few Good Men. I have, on occasion, used this line when discussing the actions of a client. Now, as it turns out, I can use it...

And the other shoe drops

Posted on January 19, 2009
Defense attorneys don't like prosecutors. Prosecutors don't like defense attorneys. Water is wet and the sky is blue. What's new?I recently allowed an anonymous prosecutor (no, I'm not saying who it is, ever.) to post the Top Ten Things Prosecutors...

Separation Anxiety

Posted on January 12, 2009
Should the government be able to use internal judiciary investigations as the basis of a criminal obstruction of justice prosecution? That is just the issue raised in the federal prosecution of United States District Judge Samuel Kent of the Southern...

My name is Shawn Matlock, and I have been racially profiled. Again.

Posted on January 08, 2009
Yeah. I know. I am a danger to society. A menace. A criminal in waiting. Except, not.It appears our friendly neighborhood Fort Worth Police Department have it out for me. Again. If you will recall, I posted some time ago...

Guest Post - The Anonymous Prosecutor Vents

Posted on January 05, 2009
It seems that the purpose of blogging from the criminal defense bar is to complain about ignorant prosecutors that don't understand the lives of criminals defendants, or to talk about how great you are as a defense attorney. I realize...

An end to straight-ticket voting?

Posted on January 04, 2009
No, this has nothing to do with criminal law. Well, maybe it does. It seems a San Antonio State Senator, Jeff Wentworth, has decided to try to do away with straight-ticket voting in Texas, again. According to a story in...

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