In June 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that a suspect who stays silent and uncooperative after Miranda warnings are given has not invoked the right to remain silent. Miranda warnings inform an individual in police custody of the following constitutional rights: You have the right to remain silent when questioned. Anything you say or do […]
Archives for July 2013
Victims of crime may be entitled to financial compensation from insurance
Our criminal justice system often forgets about the victims of crime. The civil justice system may be able to help crime victims. In New Mexico, a victim of a crime may be entitled to financial compensation for their injuries. A victim may be able to obtain compensation from an insurance company if the crime involved […]
Ensuring judicial fairness in the criminal justice system
The Houston Chronicle published an article (“Ex-prosecutor admits helping judge accused of sending secret text messages”) on a case of alleged judicial and prosecutorial misconduct in Polk County, Texas. In that county, a sitting district judge and a prosecutor who has since been elected judge, are accused of text messaging during a trial. The texts […]
Privacy rights online
The New York Times reported that Facebook has revealed that in the last six months of 2012, it had 9,000 to 10,000 requests for information about its users from local, state and federal agencies. Those requests covered 18,000 to 19,000 user accounts. Facebook’s lawyer disclosed these requests involved all different kinds of criminal and security […]
Las Cruses police shootings
In May of 2013, at the end of a bench trial, a federal judge cleared the Las Cruces Police Department of liability in the 2010 death of a samurai sword-wielding man who was tragically shot and killed by a Las Cruces Police officer. The lawsuit alleged that City was liable for not providing adequate training […]