Criminal Law Blog
Texas Sex Offender Registry List Is Huge But Not Every Listed Sex Offender Is an Adult Who Committed a Sex Crime
Last week, the Austin American Statesman published some pretty important facts about the State of Texas’ Sex Offender Registry. The Austin newspaper’s investigation needs to have lots of state-wide scrutiny because what is being revealed by the Statesman is critical information for every Texan. The Statesman’s full investigative piece was published online on July 14,…
Immigration Holds in North Texas: Indefinite Stays and Dallas County Sheriff
There’s a reason that you get nervous when you see that police car in your rearview mirror: police officers have tremendous power in this country, and we all depend upon them to exercise that power (in legalese, their “police powers”) responsibly. Not that this gives many of us much comfort. DWI Held on Immigration Bond…
Forfeiture Victory for Police: They Can Seize and Keep Assets Even In an Illegal Search Says Texas Supreme Court
Texas law allows the police to take property from someone even if the property owner is never charged, much less convicted of a crime. This is called “civil forfeiture,” it’s allowed under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. arts. 59.01-.14 et seq., and we’ve discussed this several times before. Lots of people are against civil forfeiture…
Guns, Gun Rights, Gun Ownership in Texas, and Weapons Arrests: Things To Know After Orlando
The Gun Control Debate: What You Should Know About Owning and Carrying a Gun in Texas Time has passed, and still the country is reeling about the tragedy in Orlando, Florida, where a single individual was able to quickly kill 50 people and injure as many more in a matter of minutes. Lots of people…
Sex Crimes With Kids: Teachers and Students – It’s a Serious Felony in Texas
Texas made the national news again on Monday, but not in a good way. A CBS News / Associated Press report focused upon a growing trend in sex crime arrests here in Texas, specifically teachers being arrested for having sexual relations with students. Even more specifically, female teachers allegedly having inappropriate (read that “illegal”) relationships…
Was Johnny Depp Falsely Accused of Domestic Violence? The Overlap Between Divorce Law and Criminal Defense
The crime of domestic violence is getting lots of media attention this week because — once again — Hollywood is providing a spotlight on criminal law and in doing so, educating the public about the reality of criminal acts and the harm that they cause to everyone involved. Which is a good thing. It’s only…
Is There Chaos in the Dallas Criminal Justice System? Consider These Five News Stories in May 2016
Criminal defense lawyers tend to see the world a bit differently than most. Maybe that’s because we are privy to things that most of the general public is not and it skews our perspective. However, if anyone has been reading the news stories for the past three or four weeks coming out of Dallas County,…
Money Laundering and Texas Drug Cartels
Money Laundering Arrests – The Flip Side of the Forfeiture Coin Money laundering in Texas has to happen, it’s a given. Why? The extremely successful Mexican Drug Cartels that operate here (and across the Tex-Mex border) must have a system to convert the cash revenue generated by their illegal business activities into legitimate and viable…
Do You Have Any Privacy From the Police in Texas? Laredo vs. Dallas
If you watched the CBS crime show “Hawaii Five-O” last week, you saw the elite police squad use a device that allowed them to see through the walls of a building and view not only the location of the kidnapping victim but also the location and movements of her captors. The gizmo read the heat…
Forfeiture Funds are Back as Equitable Sharing Program Gears Up in Dallas County and State of Texas
Back in March, the Department of Justice issued a news release that had to have been met with lots of joy in law enforcement offices all over the State of Texas: the “Equitable Sharing Program” was back, effective immediately! Both the March 28, 2016 Letter Sent by the Department of Justice to State, Local, and…
