Why the “Thin Blue Line” Needs to be Erased but Police as a Whole Deserve More Love than They are Getting these Days
There’s been a lot of talk recently about police brutality and excessive force. On extreme fringe number one is the “Thin Blue Line” “Back the Badge” “A few bad apples exist in every profession” people. On extreme fringe number two are the “Burn it all down” “There is...
What to Know About Your Rights While Protesting
The protests… and riots, which have gone on over the last week bring up a very important legal question: What rights to individuals have to protest against the government? And what are the limitations on that right that may legally imposed BY the government? We...
A Legal Analysis of Illegal Immigrant Family Separations at the Border
Many people are wondering what exactly happened, and is happening, and is likely to happen with the Border Situation of Illegal Immigrant children and adults being separated at the border and held in different places. I have written this summary of the applicable laws...
On the Lighter Side
I've decided to lighten the mood a bit with some strange legal facts and a few of my favorite lawyer jokes. Strange Legal Fact #1 - There is no criminal law that says that you need to pay your taxes. The only criminal law on point says that you must FILE your...
What to do if You’ve Been Pulled Over for Drunk Driving
1. Don't drink and drive. By far the best and most important advice I can give you is to not drink and drive. It IS genuinely dangerous. I have seen enough criminal cases involving fatal crashes to tell you with all my heart that it isn't worth it. Get a hotel room....
The Second Amendment. What does it Say? What does It Mean? How is it Enforced?
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." To understand the 2nd Amendment, it is necessary to first put it into context within the larger United States...
Body Cameras, and Why We Should Require Police Officers to Wear Them
Having spent years in the Criminal Courts I can say a few things with certainly. One of the things I can tell you without any doubt in my mind is that defendants lie. I know, this is a shocking thing to hear from a Defense Attorney, but it's true. I can tell you also...
An Explanation of California’s Marijuana Laws After Prop 64
Proposition 64 was passed with 56.96 % of the vote on November 8th. The Adult Marijuana Use Act makes some pretty significant changes to California Law. Proposition 64: Creates "The Bureau of Marijuana Control" as a sub-department of the Department of Consumer...
Proposition 57 – How We Got Here – And How We Go Forward
There was an election this month! This article is about Proposition 57, but because there were a few other propositions that deal with California Budget Issues, I have included a short summary of those as well. We begin with the background for why Proposition 57 was...
My Story
I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when I was still in grade school. All of my teachers told me that was what I should do. Looking back I think that was their nice way of saying that I was a big mouth, and that I should probably try to get paid for it someday. ...