Search Results for: bail

Getting Out of Jail in Texas on a Writ of Habeas Corpus

There’s more than one way to regain your freedom after an arrest here in Texas.  Under either federal or state law, you can challenge the legality of your situation – being held behind bars – by filing an application with the court for a “writ of habeas corpus.” What is a Writ of Habeas Corpus?…


Loss of Privacy And Arrest in Texas: Hurting Your Job, Your Relationships, Your Life

You can be arrested under either federal or state law here in Texas. We’ve discussed how those two systems work side by side here in Dallas, Fort Worth, and North Texas. For more on the process of being detained, arrested, and released on bail, read: Out on Bail: Pre-Trial Conditions in Dallas, Fort Worth, and…


Who’s Running Dallas? Big Changes in Law Enforcement – Know Your Rights With Police

Major changes here in Dallas in the world of crime and criminal justice. Big ones. What’s the likelihood that rights will be trampled in the process? From a criminal defense perspective, all these changes are a red flag for wrongful arrests, unconstitutional searches and seizures, and more. Why? What’s going on here in North Texas?…


Brendan Dassey Motion for Release from Jail During Appeal of Wrongful Conviction Ruling

The Motion to Release Brendan Dassey on his own recognizance (no bail bond) has been filed with the federal court that ruled he was the victim of a wrongful conviction.  Both the motion and its memorandum in support (which has all the legal arguments) have been placed in the Michael Lowe Digital Library. This supplements…


Why Brendan Dassey Can’t Get Out of Jail Even Though Federal Judge Overturned His Conviction

Federal Criminal Appeals: Lessons from Netflix’s “Making a Murderer” Brendan Dassey Case How can a judge overturn a conviction as being wrongful and unjust, and the defendant still remain behind bars? That’s what is happening in the Brendan Dassey case — and it’s a great lesson to all of us on how the criminal justice…


Sex Crimes, Sexual Assault and Civil Lawsuits for Damages: Bill Cosby’s Legacy?

Sexual assault cases continue to get more and more media coverage. (We’ll discuss Dennis Hastert’s sentencing this morning to two years of supervised release and my correct prediction this would happen in a later post.) Sex crimes sell lots of newspapers and get high volume web site hits, apparently. Whether or not there’s more than…


Will You Go to State Jail or Texas Prison? The Importance of Plea Negotiations

This week, Dallas Police Chief David Brown is fighting to keep his job after the news got out that there has been almost a 75% increase in murders in the Dallas area. That’s right: SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT. The Black Police Association is calling on Chief Brown to resign. The Dallas Police Association admits that the city’s…


Family Violence in Texas: Crimes Based Upon Domestic Violence – It’s More Than a Fight That Turns Physical

  According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, there were 185,817 reports of family violence made to Texas law enforcement in 2014. Most will assume that these numbers reflect fights between men and women, either married couples or romantic relationships, where emotions got high and things turned physical. After all, that’s what everyone is…


Arrested then Assaulted in Texas: Jailers and Guards Caught on Video

The suicide of 28-year-old Sandra Bland got lots of people talking about the goings-on in local jails here in Texas. Ms. Bland died last July in the Waller County Jail, and the autopsy concluded that she committed suicide by hanging. Sandra Bland had said some things that should have warned her jailers that she was…


5 Things To Know About Heroin Arrests If You’re Using Heroin in Dallas

Caught with Heroin in North Texas Heroin just keeps getting more popular here in our part of the country, and in all likelihood we’re going to see even more heroin use in the Dallas – Fort Worth area in 2016. We’ve discussed why that is in past posts; read them here if you’re interested in…