Tag Archives: New Jersey Criminal Defense Lawyer
New Jersey’s Liquor Laws Generate Significant Confusion
New Jersey’s liquor laws have long been the source of much confusion: While one law limits towns to one liquor license per 3,000 people, another limits markets and other companies to two retail licenses only. While some towns often have their own regulations regarding whether or not liquor can be sold on Sundays, others… Read More »
Pipeline Protesters Rely On Necessity Defense
Some of the pipeline protesters who were charged with various crimes while protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline are relying on what’s known as the “necessity defense,” arguing that they had no choice but to commit the crimes they are being accused of in order to prevent a greater harm. In this case, the… Read More »
Terrorism & Criminal Defense
A new criminal defense issue has arisen in the prosecution of those accused of helping to plot the 9/11 attacks that killed people in the New York, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania—the issue of sleep deprivation. Specifically, according to one former CIA interrogator, equipment is placed in some captive/defendants’ beds in his prison cell, which… Read More »
What Is “Domestic Terrorism”? Is It A Crime?
Although the U.S. Code defines the phrase “domestic terrorism,” and many states and localities have adopted penalties for it as a crime, “domestic terrorism” is not an actual federal crime in and of itself under federal law because there are no federal penalties provided for. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty… Read More »
Court Finds Mindset & Intention Irrelevant In Wildlife Crimes
On June 21, a federal court found the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of deciding under what circumstances it would prosecute individuals who killed animals protected under the Endangered Species Act to be outside the range of prosecutorial authority. At issue in the case was a policy known as the “McKittrick Policy,” originally stemming from… Read More »
Video Captures New Jersey Police Breaking Protocol In Pursuing Suspect
A police incident on June 4th involving a night pursuit that lasted for six miles and ended in serious injuries for an innocent man had Mayor Steve Fulop accusing some members of the police force of technically breaking protocol during the pursuit on June 8th. The department now faces intense criticism over video footage… Read More »
Congress May Soon Affect Gun And Weapons Charges in New Jersey
New Jersey is one of 10 states that will not honor concealed carry permits issued outside its borders; instead, in order to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon in New Jersey, one must demonstrate that there is a “justifiable need,” or good reason to believe that your life or the life of… Read More »
What’s Ahead for The Decriminalization of Marijuana?
When it comes to the legalization and regulation of marijuana, it is important to keep in mind that there is a difference between federal authority to manage recreational vs. medical marijuana insofar as what authority the Justice Department has to enforce federal laws banning the product (i.e. arresting and prosecuting citizens for drug possession)…. Read More »
Police Immunity & the Connection to Wrongful Convictions
What constitutes excessive use of force, and how is it connected to police immunity? Holding police officers civilly liable for police misconduct is important, but it is also important to know when police officers, as government officers, can raise immunity as a defense. Ultimately, police abuse is directly connected to other elements of the… Read More »
When Children Are Tried As Adults
Many people remember hearing about the terrible Slender Man stabbing incident in 2014, when two 12-year-old girls allegedly lured their friend into the woods and stabbed her 19 times, purportedly out of a belief that a fictional character known as the “Slender Man” made them do it. Both of the girls accused of the… Read More »