Jerry McDevitt, famed Pittsburgh trial lawyer, comments on Dr. Wecht’s trial and his successful defense: Q: The trial of this case ended in a hung jury in April of last year, tell us a little bit about your theories of defense and your strategies in trying the case. Mr. McDevitt: It was obvious going into […]
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 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 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 MOREBear Stearns Execs Head for Trial on Wire and Securities Fraud Charges
As is well known, Bear Stearns, one of the largest investment banks in the world, was sold to JP Morgan Chase and effectively ceased to exist in March of 2008, after two Bear Stearns hedge funds invested in collateralized debt obligations—mainly subprime home loans—and once worth approximately $1.6 billion, lost nearly all of their value. […]
READ MOREWhat Constitutes Murder in the Second?
Once again, I am drawn into a discussion of the George Zimmerman case. I was asked by my mother of all people if it’s Second Degree Murder because Zimmerman was supposedly following Trayvon. So I told my mother the same thing that I’m about to tell you. You can follow anyone in America all day long […]
READ MOREGeorgia, Atlanta, Identity Theft Hot Spots
The Federal Trade Commission has ranked Georgia 4th among the States and Atlanta 19th among cities for identity theft crimes, as reported in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The rankings are based on complaints received by the FTC in 2010. Significant among Georgia’s numbers are 2,882 complaints of government benefits or documents fraud; 911 complaints of bank […]
READ MOREHenry ‘Curtis’ Jackson Jr. Executed In Mississippi For Killing 4 Nieces, Nephews
Is Mississippi Safer Because Another Black Man Died? The man lay on his back on the gurney. A portion of the red prison jumpsuit visible above the edge of the sheet which rose and fell with his breathing. Four tubes slithered from the wall and disappeared under the sheet. “Do you have any final words?” […]
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