My Opinion

Zimmerman Verdict: A Behind The Scenes Fact

I have seen jury consultant Robert Hirschhorn lecture several times (and stolen lots of his material for my own cases.) When It was revealed he worked on the Zimmerman case, I immediately understood how the defense overcame the “knock knock” joke in opening statements. Here is an article from USA Today explaining some of the jury selection strategies Hirschhorn used. SANFORD, Fla. — One of the people instrumental in helping George Zimmerman’s defense team pick an all-female jury says that

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Seven Brady Cases You Should Know

Here are my seven favorite Brady decisions: 1. BRADY V. MARYLAND, 373 U.S.83 (1963) Both Brady and his co-defendant were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. After trial, the prosecutor disclosed to Brady that the co-defendant admitted to the homicide. The court held that the prosecutor’s suppression of the confession violated the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. Accordingly, the prosecutor must disclose to the defendant all material evidence that is exculpatory. What is material? Anything

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Do We Really Care About Prosecutorial Misconduct?

In my experience most prosecutors play by the rules.  They know their ethical duties and abide by them.  However, I, along with many of my colleagues, have observed a growing number of prosecutors that have no problem stepping over the ethics line.  The issue seems more to do with ignorance than intent. For the most part, the public is unaware of this growing problem.  It is only when the misconduct is so outrageous and the victim has the means to

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The Best Criminal Defense Blog Posts For December

Since the “best of of the month” blog posts at DUI blog have received a lot of positive feedback, I thought it I should do the same here. I have searched far and wide and these are the best criminal defense blog posts that I have found in December. My disclaimer is this list purely my opinion and I am sure I am leaving out lots of deserving authors.

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