Could Justin Be Prosecuted For Robbery-PC 211? You Better Beliebe It
Could Justin Be Prosecuted For Robbery-PC 211? You Better Beliebe It
The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that Justin Bieber, the teen sensation with a rocky criminal history as of late, was accused of forcibly grabbing a cell phone out of the purse of an alleged victim at a batting cage and mini golf center in Sherman Oaks, California on Monday night.1 According to the gossip website TMZ, Mr. Bieber was playing miniature golf with his entourage late Monday night…
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Being Read the Wrong Rights Can Affect Your DUI Case (United States v. Sean Harrington D.C. No. 1:11-cr-00427-AWI-1)
On June 10, 2011, Sean Harrington was observed sitting in his car by a federal park ranger in a nonpublic area of Yosemite National Park. His car lights were on and his engine was running. When the ranger approached his vehicle, Sean was allegedly not cooperative. The ranger said appeared drunk, argumentative and upset. Harrington refused to take a field sobriety test. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under…
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9 Famous Presidential Pardons and Commutations
If you have been convicted of a federal crime, there is a chance that your sentence could be shortened or even pardoned by the President of the United States. Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the president the power to excuse your federal conviction. This does not apply to any state offenses. In order to be granted a presidential pardon, you must petition for a pardon and bring…
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NFL Player Aldon Smith Accused of Making False Bomb Threat (California Penal Code Section 148.1)
On April 13, 2014, a routine airport trip for a San Francisco 49ers linebacker took a drastic turn. According to ABC News, Aldon Smith was arrested after allegedly making a bomb threat at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). 1 According to LAX police, Smith was randomly chosen for secondary screening by TSA agents while going through Terminal 1. At that moment he became belligerent, arguing with security and refusing to…
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Be Careful What You Click For – 5 Worst Punishments for Craigslist Pranks
Craigslist is an online classifieds website where anyone can post listings for jobs, items for sale or personal ads. It can be a convenient way for people to find jobs in their community or buy goods at cheap prices. However, Craigslist is also known as a place where people post fake listings to prank others. Many pranksters think Craigslist is an anonymous website where their personal information can't be found.…
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Should Police Be Allowed to Tape Your Conversation in a Police Vehicle?
If you are arrested or charged with a crime, we strongly suggest that you do not talk to the police without your attorney present. After all, when the police read you your Miranda rights, they say plainly that, "anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law." However, as a recent California court case demonstrates, you should remain silent even if you…
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A Strong Smell Could Land You in a Cell
In California, in order for a police officer to legally search a car without a warrant, he or she must either receive consent from the driver or have "probable cause" that the vehicle contains contraband or evidence of a crime. If an officer illegally searches a car, anything that is found in the search becomes void and cannot be used in court. Typically, whether an officer received consent- a simple…
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Federal Lawsuits Challenge Sex Offender Restrictions in California
A lawyer from Santa Maria is on a mission to curb restrictive laws passed in California communities affecting the daily lives of registered sex offenders that she says violate the California and U.S. Constitutions. Janice Bellucci, a civil rights attorney and president of California Reform Sex Offender Laws (California RSOL), has filed complaints in the Central and Eastern U.S. District Courts of California challenging restrictions enacted in the cities of…
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Ninth Circuit Court Gets Tougher on Review of Death Penalty Cases (Henry v. Ryan, 9th Circuit, 2014)
A recent decision by the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has returned bad news for a defendant seeking review of his death penalty conviction. The case centers around the Supreme Court's ruling regarding the finality of a conviction, wherein federal courts must respect a judgment made at the state level (Ryan v. Schad, 133 S. Ct. 2548, 2551 (2013). The Ninth Circuit has said that in the present…
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Experts Recommend Lawmakers Overhaul California’s Sex Offender Registry Laws
The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) released a report on April 2, 2014 recommending significant changes to California's "one size fits all" sex offender registration laws.1 The report is entitled A Better Path to Community Safety: Tiering Background Paper. It provides some convincing evidence for scrapping California's current scheme of lifetime registration for everyone convicted of any sex offense, regardless of the nature of their crime, date of conviction…
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