• Assault

    What Are the Penalties for Assault and Battery Convictions?

    Assault and battery charges are extremely serious. If you have been charged with a violent crime, you need a skilled criminal lawyer near Columbus if you hope to avoid a conviction. In Ohio criminal law, assault is defined as causing or attempting to cause harm to another person. Battery is intentionally or negligently causing offensive […]

  • Buyer’s Remorse??

      Calling the sentence “one of the most troubling that I ever faced in my five years on the federal bench,” Paul G. Cassell, now a professor at the University of Utah’s law school, said the mandatory minimum sentence he was required to impose on Weldon Angelos was one of the chief reasons he chose […]

  • 18 USC 16’s COV definition is vague!

      The 5 th Circus joined the 7 th and 9 th recently, by finding that the definition of “crime of violence” found in 18 U.S.C. § 16, is unconstitutionally vague. This decision was consistent with the principles announced by the Supreme Court in Johnson v. United States , 135 S.Ct. 2551 (2015). In Johnson […]

  • Old Sparky’s Making A Comeback.

      Most capital litigants have been wildly successful in frustrating their grim reaper by ensuring the blood thirsty states where they are incarcerated have no lethal-injection drugs to pull off the state-sanctioned murder. The Commonwealth of Virginia has had enough of the obstruction and has given notice that the electric chair is now a viable […]

  • BERNIE’S VIEW ON BAIL REFORM.

    Bernie Sanders has softly beat the drum for bail reform in the federal system. The Bail Reform Act of 1984 made it dramatically easier to keep people locked up before federal trials; most of the states followed suit. Today, roughly two-thirds of the people in jail are there either because they are too poor to […]

  • A GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT DOESN’T RUN ON FORMS–WHAT GIVES??

    Kaylon Pruitt appealed his 46 month sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm and argued the district court committed procedural error by failing to explain the reasons for the sentence, as required by 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c). The Second Circuit affirmed and this is an otherwise forgettable decision but for the digs […]

  • A LIFETIME OF BIG BROTHER!

      In 2012, two years after the Wisconsin Department of Corrections officials affixed an ankle bracelet on him after his discharge from civil commitment, Michael Belleau sued, claiming the practice amounted to an ex post facto law as well as unreasonable search and seizure without a warrant. In September, Chief U.S. District Judge William Griesbach […]

  • Gun Possession and Carry Laws in Ohio

    Examining Gun Possession and Carry Laws in Ohio

    If you are facing a weapons charge, it is essential to contact a criminal defense attorney serving Columbus. Gun laws in Ohio are complex, and only a lawyer who is well versed in state criminal law can help you fight the charges. When you want to find a lawyer, be sure to pick someone whose […]

  • Can You Get a Traffic Ticket Based on Traffic Camera Footage?

    Criminal law in Columbus makes it an infraction to violate state traffic laws. If you are charged with a traffic violation, only a criminal defense attorney can help you avoid steep fines, skyrocketing insurance, and even jail time. If you have been charged with a traffic ticket issued by a traffic camera, you may be wondering […]

  • Defense Strategies Against Manslaughter Charges

    Common Defense Strategies Against Manslaughter Charges

    A criminal defense attorney serving Columbus can use different strategies when it comes to defending clients charged with manslaughter. A criminal lawyer may attempt to prove that the defendant did not actually commit the crime, that his or her actions were justified, or that the behavior did not fulfill the necessary elements of the crime. […]