The “Beauty Queen” Murder Case: I hate it when they call it that. It really has absolutely nothing to do with the case. But it sure sells “widgets”. It just goes to show you how hard it can be to get a fair trial when the media, especially the silly social media,...
Art of Law
Structure and Rules and What Happened in Montana
Structure and rules, fairly applied, hold our society together. They save us from chaos and injustice. You can have structure and rules, but without fairness it doesn’t work. Just think Nazi Germany. You can have fairness, but without structure it fails. Woodstock...
Parenting, Politics, and the Rule of Law
Don’t worry. This won’t be another rambler. I realize that last post was a bit tangential. There was a reason for taking that approach; it was an experiment in trying to get people to read it. As Donald Trump knows well, sometimes making yourself a target of criticism...
Can Alternative Facts ever be REAL Facts?
The answer is simple: Maybe. It depends. Like everything else I write about. It depends on evidence, and a careful analysis of any problems with that evidence. The bottom line is that rarely, if ever, is truth absolute. Take the latest feud over something that seems...
Why TV Reporters Would Make Lousy Lawyers
This topic has been on my mind for months now, for obvious reasons. Apparently Matt Lauer brought it to the forefront with his lame “interviews” of Trump and Clinton. I wouldn’t know. I can’t bear to watch this stuff any more. I say “interview” in quotes because...
7 Reasons Behind False Rape Accusations
False Rape Accusations Why on earth would a woman possibly lie about being raped? That was a valid question that was raised in comments to my last post. I could wax poetic about the sacred presumption of innocence, proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the right to...
False Rape Accusations: is this a Thing?
Even criminal defense attorneys, like me, need to be reminded occasionally about the presumption of innocence. I read a piece recently in Seattle’s “Stranger” about Matt Hickey (no joke, that’s his name), a well known techie who was being accused of sexually...
Ten Ways Technology Changed Law Practice
My law firm is older than the Internet. I hate it when I say stuff like that. It makes me sound so old. I don’t feel old. I definitely don’t act old. I’m one of those annoying old guys who overuses the word “Dude” and still tries to stay on top of the current music...
What is Assault, Anyway?
I want to begin by thanking Donald Trump’s campaign manager. Just when I was wondering what new legal issues were floating around that were relevant to criminal law, there it was. Assault! Campaign Aides Gone Wild! Or not… Which is what this is going to be about:...
Six Ways Politicians are Like Criminal Defense Lawyers
You know that feeling you get when something seems very familiar to you but you know it isn’t? I got that recently when I was listening to one of the Presidential candidates wax poetic about every little detail concerning their poll numbers, on and on ad nauseam. I’m...