Two recent cases in Minnesota demonstrate the power or prosecutors and what happens to accused people who may be innocent.
The first case involved a football coach at Mankato State University who had three short videos on his phone of his young children playing in the nude. The local prosecutor charged the coach with the felony of child …
How do judges know when to set bail on an accused person? How much should be set? Are there any guidelines?
The setting of bail occurs when an accused person first appears in court to answer for alleged crimes. That’s done because of constitutional requirements. A judge has several choices at this point in a criminal …
My jazz group played for a judge’s retirement party here in Minnesota. Of course, we loved playing and it was a great party–if you like big groups of judges and lawyers!!
Many people don’t know that judges often retire with strategic purposes in mind, besides simply quitting their jobs.
To understand, it’s important to remember that, at the …
Okay, I’m sorry to post one more time about the Amy Senser trial. It’s over, but for months the media in Minnesota covered the case non-stop. Amy Senser was accused of two lower levels of homicide for striking a man on an exit ramp, killing him. She left the scene without stopping and failed to report it for …
The sad shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida by George Zimmerman has exploded across the media and country. As a result, many groups have used this tragedy as a symbol of larger issues that each group seeks to exploit.
1. “Walking While Black.” This is close to Driving While Black that many of my African-American friends tell me …
You’ve probably followed the tragic story from Sanford, Florida where George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin over some disagreement. There were no witnesses, other than the victim and Mr. Zimmerman, and the only evidence is the 911 recordings and Mr. Z’s version.
It appears that Mr. Zimmerman was a local “watch captain” carrying a gun, who thought Trayvon …
The former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison in federal court in Chicago and afterward quoted Rudyard Kipling: “…if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same…” He vowed to fight and not let the next 12+ years in prison get him down.
Give me …
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