Archive for the ‘Criminal Defense’ Category

In the United States, federal laws apply to everyone in the country, while state laws apply only to those people who live, work, or happen to be in a particular state. Under the Constitution, federal law is supreme and must be followed if a conflict arises. Some of the first federal crimes in the U.S. were defined in the Crimes Act of 1790, which specified 23 federal crimes. Seven of the offenses carried a mandatory death penalty: treason, murder, three offenses relating to piracy, forgery of a public security of […]

In the interest of giving American children a safe place to learn, schools have become battlegrounds upon which the war on drugs is fought. Since 1970, there have been federal laws on the books increasing penalties for people who commit certain drug offenses within a specific proximity to a school. The laws that create these protected places — known as “drug-free school zones” — vary by jurisdiction and are now found in all 50 states. Drug-related crimes are the most frequently charged offenses nationwide. In 2012 alone, drug abuse violations […]

One of the most basic principles of the American justice system is that what a defendant says to his or her attorney is confidential. However, the rules for enforcing that principle are frequently tested by technological inventions. For example, the guidelines for monitoring jailhouse phone conversations are still evolving and, despite posted signs to the contrary, many defendants incorrectly assume that any information they share over the phone is private. The popularity and convenience of email has presented its own confidentiality challenges. The common practice has been for the inmates’ […]

Say “pyramid scheme,” and many people immediately think of a business like Mary Kay (beauty products), Pampered Chef (kitchen tools), or Amway (purveyor of a variety of products)—all multilevel marketing programs. But there is a difference between pyramid schemes and multilevel marketing programs (MLMs). While both work on the principle of getting new recruits to join the company and invest money, a legitimate MLM truly has products to sell, while a pyramid scheme is established primarily to make money for the people at the top of the pyramid. Where the […]