The election of Matt Shirk as Public Defender in Florida begs two questions. 1- How should chief public defenders be chosen? 2- Who is Matt Shirk? From The Agitator Shirk, who was backed by the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, has never defended a homicide case. His…
Blogging inspiration can be hard to come by. In the past my goal was to write almost every day. Now I’m down to about 4.5 posts a week. One reason is I do a lot more self editing and censorship. Long time readers will remember IWasTheState.com, my first blog. That…
I launched the Kaufman County Bar’s first website last week. KaufmanBar.com will answer your Kaufman Bar questions like When is the next bar luncheon? Who is the bar vice president? When is the next bar luncheon? When is the Christmas party? And finally, when is the next bar luncheon? Bar…
www.sobrietytesting.org is the National Sobriety Testing Resources Center. This website limits access to police/prosecutors and shares DWI testing information. Defense attorney’s aren’t welcome. Naturally, I filed an open records request with the Department of Public Safety to see what documentation, emails, or letters they had from this group. Today I…
The police pull you over and find a suspicious white powder in your car. You swear this powder is for your athlete’s foot. The police believe this powder is cocaine. You are booked into jail. Bail is set at $25,000. The powder is sent to the DPS lab for further…
Me. The Kaufman County bar met today and held officer elections. The results are in. No recount needed. President- Tracy Booker Vice President- Me Treasurer- Lisa Gent Secretary- Keena Greyling One of the first goals of the Booker administration is to set up a website. We are also seeking to…
Texas has some of our nation’s most outdated marijuana laws. Possession of any usable amount of pot is a Class B misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to 6 months in jail, and a $2,000 fine. In reality most misdemeanor pot defendants get probation. However, Texas makes no distinction…
A Dallas Morning News story lays out the simple arithmetic of wrongful convictions. Lack of discovery for defendants plus prosecutors who hide Brady material= Wrongful conviction. From DMN Antrone Lynelle Johnson twice was convicted of sexual assault as a high school student, earning him a life sentence. Mr. Johnson, 31,…
An article in the Dallas Morning News today highlights the stringent parole conditions for sex offenders. In Texas, most parolees for sex offenses are required to comply with Condition X. What is condition X? The most intense regulation of nearly every aspect of the parolee’s life. From the DMN story-…
A TDCAA message board post led me to the National Sobriety Testing Resource Center, www.sobrietytesting.org. What is the NSTRC? From their website Welcome to the National Sobriety Testing Resource Center (NSTRC). The purpose of the Center is to provide a comprehensive source of information regarding standardized field sobriety testing, training…