Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer
Defense counsel must subpoena information prior to indictment in any case where records may be destroyed or become unavailable with the passage of time. Some prosecutors oppose these subpoena requests with a Motion to Quash if the subpoena is requested prior to indictment. There is no authority to support that position and defense counsel needs… Read more
Austin DWI Lawyer A nondisclosure order allows Texas state agencies to release Criminal History Record Information as follows: § 411.0765. Disclosure by Criminal Justice Agency Effective: September 1, 2017 (a) A criminal justice agency may disclose criminal history record information that is the subject of an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information under… Read more
The Austin American Statesman published an article on February 5 about bail bond reform in Texas describing the two bills that would apply an “Automated Pretrial Risk Assessment” to deciding who should be released from jail on Personal Recognizance Bond and who should not. In Austin we have been using an evidence based approach for… Read more
Austin DWI lawyer Here is a Probation Disposition and Derivation Table for the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure dealing with Probation. TCCP Article 42.12 was recodified in TCCP Chapter 42A. The nonsubstanative changes to the TCCP were made in 2015. Austin DWI lawyer DISPOSITION TABLE DERIVATION TABLE TCCP ART.42.12 2015 TCCP ART. 42A 2015 TCCP… Read more
Austin DWI lawyer Standardized Field Sobriety Tests or SFSTs are frequently admitted in Driving While Intoxicated trials. Even when law enforcement improperly administers the tests, judges admit the tests and allow juries to decide how much weight to give them. Law enforcement officers must be qualified to testify which means certified by The National Highway Traffic… Read more
Austin DWI Lawyer In 1991 in Geesa v. State, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals accepted the federal jury charge instruction of Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, namely, that reasonable doubt “is the kind of doubt that would make a reasonable person hesitate to act in the most important of his own affairs.” Trial courts… Read more
A Federal Judge said this week that a Massachusetts man facing a jail sentence could not be denied access to treatment for his opioid addiction believing that such a refusal violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and was cruel and unusual punishment. Here in Travis County, Defendants can be denied medication in jail or be deemed… Read more
Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer The County Commissioners Court and the District Attorney’s Office want to change the way indigent defendants are represented in Travis County. See, Travis County Weighs a Defender’s Office, Austin American Statesman, October 17, 2018. This new approach is based on a Report entitled Review of Drug Possession Case Dispositions 2016-2017 and… Read more
Shaken Baby Syndrome or Abusive Head Trauma is a severe condition that can cause death or serious bodily injury in very young children. The condition causes blood to flow under the skull and creates bruising, swelling and bleeding. We handled a case for a client who was accused of harming a child in her care… Read more
On January 16, I wrote about McCoy v. Louisiana a case where defense counsel argued that his client was “crazy”. This was a triple homicide where the evidence for guilt was overwhelming. The defendant, Robert McCoy, nonetheless maintained his innocence and instructed his lawyer not to concede guilt. Convinced of his client’s guilt and perhaps… Read more
