Archive for the "Criminal Law" Category

30.Jul.2011 Can a Cop Search My Cell Phone?

Now that texting and driving is illegal in Louisiana and in 33 other states (as of the writing of this article), how far can a police officer go if he suspects you of doing it? This particular law is difficult for the police to enforce, as this article points out. For one thing — and [...]

02.Jul.2011 Justice is Slow in Coming

One of the guiding principles of every just and compassionate society is the strong protect the weak. This ideal is the bedrock of our criminal justice system when it comes to violent crimes. This is especially true when it comes to predatory sex crimes like rape and child molestation. As a society we show little [...]

27.Jun.2011 This is Your Brain on Crime

What is the role of our modern legal system? Is it to isolate those we deem to be dangerous? Or is it to rehabilitate those who have erred and help them make a return to being a positive social contributor? Over the years the debate has been fairly simple; do we seek what is best [...]

20.Jun.2011 Opera and Football

It’s a familiar scene to us all…. time is running out, the players are in motion, the band is blaring, the cheerleaders are working the crowd. The excited fans lean forward in unison, the air is filled with electricity and spilled beer. Primal emotions turn into a full-throated roar as Violetta suddenly, tragically dies in [...]

09.Jun.2011 Prison Reform is a Money Maker

Life can be counter-intuitive. Case in point: the country that leads the international call for human rights also maintains the largest prison population. But that’s a good thing, right? Apparently not. In these tough economic times, as states look for ways to save money, lawmakers are reconsidering their notion of what constitutes a crime. Louisiana’s [...]

08.Jun.2011 Synthetic Drug Ban Passes Senate Committee

Legislation that would criminalize specially designed drugs that are sold as “bath salts” and “potpourri” was given unanimous approval Tuesday, and is one step short of final passage by lawmakers. The Senate Judiciary B Committee advanced to the Senate floor House Bill 12 by Rep. Rickey Templet, R-Gretna. If approved there, it will go to [...]

07.Jun.2011 Fiction Writer Beware: Anything You Say May Be Used Against You

Photo Courtesy of Jeffness A work of fiction written by a person charged with a crime can be used against the author in court. So says a new decision from the Michigan Supreme Court, which holds that a story written by a defendant can be used as evidence of his or her intent to commit [...]

06.Jun.2011 Supreme Court Clarifies Armed Career Criminal Act

Today, the United States Supreme Court decided McNeill v. United States.  In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Thomas, the Court held that for purposes of determining whether a conviction for a prior state drug offense is a “serious drug offense” under the Armed Career Criminal Act,(i.e., the “maximum term of imprisonment” for that offense is [...]

12.May.2011 New Bill Regulating Bath Salts and Synthetic Marijuana One Step Closer to Passage

House Bill 12  (click for full text) is one step close to passage. The Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice sent the measure, introduced by Rep. Ricky Templet, R-Gretna, to the House floor for debate. Besides banning the sale, manufacture or possession of “bath salts”, the  bill also rewrites a law passed last year that bans the [...]

19.Apr.2011 Legislating an End to Synthetic Marijuana

The recent rise of many forms of synthetic marijuana has reignited a debate over marijuana policy in the UnitedStates, offering compelling reasons for federal and state governments to at least consider legalizing, or substantially de-criminalizing marijuana in this country. Discussions of  the legalization of marijuana have raged for years in this country, with a variety of [...]