Because cell phones, laptops and tablets are ubiquitous within our society, many criminal investigations involve the seizure and search of electronic devices. In some cases, the right to canvass private devices for information is obvious, but in others, law...
It is well known that under Michigan law, registered sex offenders are barred from living near school safety zones. The notion behind the state’s law is to prevent sex offenders from living in close proximity to children, and to limit the exposure of children to...
As we near the Independence Day holiday weekend, we feel it prudent to revisit the question of whether drivers stopped on suspicion of drunk driving should take field sobriety tests.So many people submit to the tests thinking that they are okay to drive, and they...
The latest high-profile sex crime case that captured national attention has now ended. The criminal case involving longtime comedian Bill Cosby has ended in a mistrial. The ruling leaves him without an acquittal and potentially sets the stage for prosecutors to try...
Over the past few years, more police departments have embraced the use of body cameras which create video footage of encounters with the public. The interest in these devices is ostensibly based on the public’s desire to have more accountability with policing....
After nearly five years of criminal justice reform regarding drug crime prosecutions and sentencing, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions appears to be rolling back such efforts. According to a recent Atlantic.com report, Sessions has instructed federal prosecutors...
With news stories breaking weekly, if not daily, about the investigations into connections between the Trump administration and Russians before and after the election, the news-monitoring public is being introduced to a handful of terms that are frequently used in...
In some sex crime cases, harsh sentences can be avoided by proving that the accused is not a specific and continual threat to be a repeat offender. Indeed, most defendants would say this to avoid jail time. However, showing this in a court of law may be a...
Embezzlement is a very serious charge, and it probably conjures a specific image in your mind: you probably think about a man in a suit and tie, laughing in a board room after he just got away with swindling money out of a business account. Or something to that...
The unfortunate reality for many people who have been convicted of some manner of felony or misdemeanor is that they are often unable to escape from the shadow of their criminal record despite having paid their debt to society and wanting nothing more than a new...