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Public Defense

A Public Defender

Criminal law news from Connecticut and around the country.
By Gideon

Post Frequency: 10.1/day

Last Entry: March 31, 2011 at 12:17:35

Judge Wu is so screwed

Posted on December 03, 2008
Judge Wu must be in quite the quandry. After the quickest about face in modern history, he tried to play it safe by reserving judgment on the defense’s motions to dismiss. He had hoped the jury would make it easy for him by acquitting Lori Drew, but they threw him a curveball (how many cliches [...

This blawg is not an ABA Top 100 blog

Posted on December 02, 2008
The list is out there, but for the second year in a row, the ABA Law Journal (or whatever) didn’t see it fit to include this (or any other public defender blog) in it’s awards ceremony. Frankly, with all the stupid videos I post, it didn’t deserve to be...

Hartford public schools, aka crim justice training schools

Posted on December 02, 2008
Alternate title: You need an ACLU study to tell you this? So yes, there’s this ACLU study that I mentioned two weeks ago, basically confirming what anyone with two eyes and half a brain and a somewhat peripheral involvement with either the criminal justice system, local politics or the news could tell you: minority kids are [...

Monday Morning Jumpstart: When?s the next long weekend edition

Posted on December 01, 2008
photo credit: Tero Heino I’m not asking about the next long weekend because I want an extra day off or anything, but simply because this long weekend produced a lot of posts and stories worth reading. Here are some of them: The most disturbing is this story out of Florida, where the new elected public defender [...

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To the person currently on this blog

Posted on November 30, 2008
The answer to your question about how much an inmate wrongfully convicted in Texas can get as compensation is $25K per year up to $500k $50,000 per year, or $100,000 per year for people sentenced to death, with no cap. Thank Mark Bennett. See, I answer questions...

Sunday Stupidity: Star (Trek vs. Wars)

Posted on November 30, 2008
So this isn’t your usual “stupidity”, but it’s a very funny interview with Patrick Stewart: Apparently embedding of that video is not permitted, so if you still want to see it, go here [Hence the original title of this post: male pattern baldness edition]...

Come get your badge!

Posted on November 30, 2008
After all the marketing/no-marketing brouhaha, I thought it appropriate to create some fun badges to display on your blog. For the blawger: For the public defender blogger: Since you all know that my image making skills are limited to cutting and pasting, this obviously is not my work...

Gay marriage in CT: a month later

Posted on November 30, 2008
Somewhat along the lines of this.

Undercover mother: exposing a juror?s lies

Posted on November 29, 2008
undercover mother When John Giuca was convicted of murder in 2005 and sentenced to 25 years in prison, his mother was unconvinced. The evidence was weak, perhaps politically motivated and she was sure her son was getting railroaded. So he did what every mother would do: she went undercover...

Repairing Windows: Disorder to Order

Posted on November 28, 2008
Two and a half years ago, I wrote (rather pithily and ignorantly) about some who were questioning the Broken Windows theory. The Broken Windows theory, which most of you I’m sure are aware of, was posited by George Kelling and James Q. Wilson in a 1982 article in The Atlantic Monthly [pdf version here]...

Judge Wu needs to grow a pair

Posted on November 25, 2008
The title of this post is somewhat of a response to the question in Dan Solove’s post at Co-Op, which is: Why won’t Judge Wu rule on the motions in the trial of Lori Drew? Dan asks: Judge Wu hasn’t ruled on the merits of how the CFAA should be interpreted, whether it is unconstitutionally vague, and [...

Sunday Stupidity: Office harmony edition

Posted on November 23, 2008
He must’ve read another post about legal marketing: Click here to view the embedded video.

It?s the client, my good chap

Posted on November 23, 2008
One of the primary reasons I started blogging was to express my thoughts and feelings about the criminal justice system. But the more I blogged, the more I realized that what it was really about was learning and sharing: learning new things and sharing experiences...

A Friday Julie Amero can enjoy

Posted on November 21, 2008
Well, it’s happened. I got word earlier this evening that Julie Amero’s case had finally been disposed of. It seems that today, hiding from the glare of media coverage, Julie pled guilty to disorderly conduct, paid a $100 fine and went on her way...

Friday funny

Posted on November 21, 2008

Are an informant?s questions testimonial?

Posted on November 21, 2008
A co-conspirator is in jail. The police send in a confidential informant, wired, to talk to the co-conspirator. The informant asks the co-conspirator questions about the crime, prodding him, making assertive statements which elicit mono-syllabic responses from the subject...

Why Lori Drew is so screwed

Posted on November 20, 2008
Because almost all the testimony on the first day focused on Megan Meier’s suicide. Don’t believe me? Read Scott’s post on it from a few days ago.

California Supreme Court to consider challenges Prop 8

Posted on November 20, 2008
In what may be the pro-gay-marriage community’s last stand in California, the CA Supreme Court has agreed to review challenges to the constitutionality of Proposition 8. The issues they have asked for briefing on are: (1) Is Proposition 8 invalid because it constitutes a revision of, rather than an amendment to, the California Constitution? (See Cal...

Confronting swastikas

Posted on November 20, 2008
You represent a man who belongs to an ethnic minority, charged with shooting a weapon illegally. The state’s main witness is his acquaintance, a caucasian male. He gives some damning and incrimination testimony. Then you notice tatoos on his arm...

Is the breathalyzer racist?

Posted on November 20, 2008
So claims one Connecticut lawyer, James O. Ruane, son of the famous DUI attorney James J. Ruane. In this most recent DUI case, the younger Ruane filed a motion to suppress the results of the breathalyzer, arguing inter alia: the lung capacity of a black man is 3 percent smaller than a white man and, therefore, [...

AZ Prosecutors need to be ashamed of themselves

Posted on November 19, 2008
Watching a news report on the interrogation of the 8 year old in AZ. The prosecutor’s story is that he was not being interrogated, but interviewed, so no need for a lawyer or guardian. I’ve never heard such bullshit in my life. Not even from my clients.

We don?t need no! Sentencing Guidelines!

Posted on November 18, 2008
I tried really hard to come up with a witty title, but this is all I could muster. After a long day stuck getting re-educated, I’m not going to try harder. Deal. Via Scott via Doug Berman comes word of Norm Pattis’ latest article in the Law Tribune (which I might have read if someone hadn’t [...

Video of police interrogation of 8-yr old released

Posted on November 18, 2008
The Apache County Attorney’s Office has released 12 minutes of the video of the interrogation of the 8-year old charged with murdering his father and his father’s friend. It’s absolutely disgusting. There are two cops talking to this child, without the presence of a parent, guardian or lawyer...

Monday Morning Jumpstart

Posted on November 17, 2008
Just a few things you should read this morning: In light of my recent post about the plight of pd systems, Scott writes a stirring tribute to the public defender and hidden in that is a call to arms for every other lawyer. More on that, and my own thoughts, later...

Ask and ye shall receive; or: don?t invite suggestions

Posted on November 15, 2008
Last month, the Governor of the fair state of CT asked taxpayers what they thought the state should do to cut expenditures and close the budget gap. There’s a website where you can go and submit your suggestion. The Gov’s office publishes the suggestions...

Juror feels bad for defendant; sends him sexy letters

Posted on November 15, 2008
Giggity giggity.

Bailout where it?s needed: public defender systems

Posted on November 14, 2008
The last few months have brought us a crashing economy and massive government bailouts to the tune of 34 trazillion dollars (it’s a real amount). As banks fail and the auto industry fails and the real estate market plumbs the depths of depression, an equally frightening scenario is unfolding in states throughout the country: the [...

LWOP for juve not cruel and unusual: CT Supr. Ct

Posted on November 12, 2008
Right on the heels of my post about juvenile offenders comes this decision from CT’s Supreme Court today. In State v. Anthony Allen, a 5-0 majority, in a decision authored by Justice Katz, held that C.G.S. 53a-35a(1), which mandates Life Without Parole (LWOP) for juveniles convicted of a capital felony, does not violate the Eight [...

This is what some people were trying to prevent

Posted on November 12, 2008
Click here to view the embedded video. You can’t watch this and not feel some happiness.

The forgotten: Julie Amero in purgatory?

Posted on November 11, 2008
As per Rick Green’s counter, today is 524 days since Julie Amero’s conviction was overturned and a new trial ordered by Judge Strackbein in New London. The last media coverage was in July.The pending case detail on the Judicial Branch website reports that her case is “on the trial list, to be scheduled” and the last [...

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