The United States Sentencing Commission released a report this morning on clemencies granted by President Obama to federal prisoners. President Obama made 1,928 grants of clemency during his presidency, of which 1,716 were commutations of sentence. Those were more commutations than any other president has granted. Those who received commutations of sentences were serving lengthy […]
Tennessee Implied Consent Law When you see the dreaded flashing lights behind you, one of the things you need to think about is Tennessee’s implied consent law. In addition to penalties for driving violations and driving under the influence, you can also face penalties if you violate Tennessee’s implied consent law when you’re investigated for […]
The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments this fall in the case of Christie v The National Collegiate Athletic Association as to whether sports betting should be left up to the states or should remain illegal in every state except for Nevada. In 1992, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Professional […]
The concept of fairness has been an integral part of our legal system since at least the year 1215. During that time, over 800 years ago, the Magna Carta was signed and gave to all Englishmen (and then consequently to all Americans) the right of due process of law. The very foundation of due process […]
The United States Sentencing Commission has released its drug trafficking statistics for 2016. Which of the following drugs would you think commands the greatest number of prosecutions from the federal government? Heroin? Oxycodone? Methamphetamines? Powder cocaine? Crack cocaine? The drug that is number one on this list is methamphetamine. There were 6,460 offenders in the […]
The United States Supreme Court in Batson v Kentucky held that prosecutors cannot exclude potential jurors because of race. The law after that decision held that neither can the defense. Jurors cannot be excluded either because of gender or religion. If a party demonstrates a pattern of exclusion in such categories the court should demand […]
