Don’t Try Mr. President. Just Don’t Try When the New York Times published, “Administration Weighs Legal Action Against States That Legalized Marijuana Use”, those with strong opinions were quick to jump on it. Writing for Huffington Post, Radley Balko said: “Notice what expressions do not show in the New York Times piece: pivot, possibly stopping […]
READ MOREHow to Lose a Debate on Drug Policy – A Primer
YouTube video that shows how drug policy reformers can ensure that they lose the public debate. It’s a BBC interview with David Blunkett, the former British home secretary who moved marijuana from Class B to Class C in England, making it a less “serious” drug for purposes of criminal prosecution, and Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin of […]
READ MORESalvia as “Legal Buzz”
I thought this article from an NBC Atlanta affiliate (entitled “Salvia: A Legal Buzz?”) was going to be about the “buzz” around criminalizing the drug salvia divinorum — which is something that a handful of states have done or are considering. Instead, it’s almost a commercial for salvia use, talking about the fact that salvia […]
READ MOREAtlanta Securities Lawyer Gregory Bartko Sentenced to 23 Years for Securities Fraud
Gregory Bartko, a securities lawyer and Atlanta resident, was sentenced last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina to 23 years’ imprisonment for securities fraud, as reported in the Columbus, Indiana, Republic. Bartko was convicted in 2010 at the conclusion of a 13-day trial on six counts of securities […]
READ MORELawyer beats Mercedes – Like a Boss
Vince Megna is the self-proclaimed “King of the Lemon Law” and proved it last week when he won a judgment over Mercedes for $618,000. Megna’s client, Marco Marquez, purchased a Mercedes-Benz 2005 E-Class sedan for just over $56k on the assumption that the car would run properly. It didn’t and had to be repaired almost immediately. […]
READ MOREBrett Chidester and Salvia: “Suicide Solution” Redux
I’ve been very reluctant to write about the case of Brett Chidester, the Delaware teenager who killed himself in January 2006 and whose parents have been pushing for the criminalization of salvia divinorum. I’m reluctant simply because the fact of losing a child is overwhelmingly tragic, and I don’t have any desire to wade into […]
READ MOREDo Stand Your Ground laws worsen racial disparities?
Do Stand Your Ground Laws Provoke Racial Disparities Inside The Justice System With some observers believing how Stand Your Ground (SYG) laws warp the nation’s justice system, the discussion isn’t over — by a long shot. In state-jurisdictions where SYG laws are in place, murders are two-timed as apt to be determined “justifiable” as states […]
READ MOREAllen Stanford Guilty on 13 of 14 Counts
As previously reported here, there has been a dearth of media coverage of the Allen Stanford trial in Houston. Following almost 3 days of deliberation Stanford was found guilty on 13 of 14 counts in the indictment. Stanford, 61, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, four counts of […]
READ MOREPoliticians Seem to Make Everything Worse
The ACLU just stepped into the ChikFilA scandal to add a nuance to the debate, and that is to ask again: What is the value of “free speech”? We are very gay and lesbian friendly criminal defense attorneys in New York. Our gay clients come to us for assistance with their estate questions, immigration questions, […]
READ MOREJacksons’ Nightmares Continue
The Jackson family once again proved that they are one of America’s most dysfunctional families. Legal filings and bickering over Michael Jackson’s estate were overshadowed by concern for the children of Michael this week. Katherine Jackson, the late Michael Jackson’s mother, was granted guardianship over the children by the court. In a shocking turn of […]
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