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Public Defense

A Public Defender

Criminal law news from Connecticut and around the country.
By Gideon

Post Frequency: 10.1/day

Last Entry: March 31, 2011 at 12:17:35

The crumbs are asking me questions

Posted on December 14, 2009
seriously, i didn't make this up It’s time, once again, to play that game where I take search terms that led visitors to this blog and make pithy comments about them. I’ve done this before (and again and again) and yes, it is a diversionary tactic which keeps me distracted enough to not write that substantive [...

Hazardous duty self defense

Posted on December 13, 2009
There are some very interesting discussions being generated as a result of the Robert Lawlor acquittal in Hartford last week: what does this say about the community, what does it mean for the future of the city, will the mistrust between residents of the city and the police ever subside, is Hartford really one city [...

Judicial blindness to eyewitness ID

Posted on December 13, 2009
A new paper, evaluating judicial response to eyewitness ID across the states [pdf here].

This Seattle DUI lawyer is a douchebag

Posted on December 12, 2009
So normally I don’t write posts like this, because I don’t give flyin’ rat’s ass. But lately, I’ve seen a string of hits in my Google Alert for “public defender” (yes, that is one way I keep up with relevant news) from some “let me help you on the internet by giving out free advice” [...

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Judging evil: Do pedophiles have free will?

Posted on December 04, 2009
Neuroskeptic, earlier this week, wrote this very powerful (and sad) post about the story of an anonymous man, who after several surgeries removing parts of his brain, developed sexual urges directed toward minors. He developed a case of the rare Kl�ver-Bucy Syndrome...

The fallacy of the good-hearted informant

Posted on December 03, 2009
An all too common scene in trials when a jailhouse snitch testifies is the elaborate song and dance performed by said snitch and the prosecutor to convince everyone (a bit too loudly) that there is no quid pro quo. “Did you talk to anyone from the prosecutor’s office before coming forward with [insert damning piece of [...

If you have time to read only one thing

Posted on December 02, 2009
today, read this.

From the ass?s mouth

Posted on December 02, 2009
Or: Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to speak ill of the dead, David Martin? David Martin, of course, is the man who “represented” Cameron Todd Willingham, the possibly innocent man executed by Texas on the basis some rather dubious arson evidence...

Waah, I cut my finger: mandatory-minimum for you!

Posted on December 01, 2009
There was an odd confluence of events in Hartford Superior Court yesterday: an expert witness testified in the trial of police officer Robert Lawlor, who is accused of fatally shooting a suspect, while at the same time Dwayne Powell was in court for his second appearance in the shooting of a Hartford police officer...

Rell wants to close minimum security prison

Posted on December 01, 2009
As expected, lame-duck Governor Rell announced plans today to close the almost-out-the-door Webster Correctional Institution (hey, news sites, look! It’s possible to link to websites besides your own!) for a savings of a whopping $3.4 million a year...

Eeny, Meeny, Miny NO SOUP FOR YOU (and other tales of justice)

Posted on November 29, 2009
You want bread? Three dollars! Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, goes the counting rhyme, the primary use of which is to select someone random to be “it” in a game. As anyone who’s ever used this rhyme knows, it’s rather easy to manipulate the rhyme (or where you start it) to “randomly” select a predetermined person...

Gravy for your turkey

Posted on November 26, 2009
I can has cheezburger? Or wine with your dine. Or “if the trytophan won’t get you, these links sure will”. Sex offenders in CT still have no place to go. It’s Norm Pattis’ turn to rant against this. A Michigan prosecutor is complaining about lack of funding...

Why people think criminal defense lawyers are scum (updated x2)

Posted on November 25, 2009
Exhibit B. It seems to me that someone thought they were being artistic. The pictures, to be honest, aren’t half bad. It’s the subject matter of the pictures that is extremely questionable. Here are the worst offenders: Family Violence Sex Crimes (a tear? really?) Rape and Sexual Assault (I mean…I don’t…) Child Sexual Assault and Internet Solicitiation (wouldn’t a picture [...

Monday Morning Jumpstart

Posted on November 23, 2009
With great power comes great current squared times resistance Ack! What is this? An edition of Monday Morning Jumpstart? Why, yes! What with my blooming campaign for Governor, I figure it’s time that I revive this once-loved, but much-maligned feature (at least for this week)...

CT Supreme Court to act like the big boys

Posted on September 02, 2009
After years of hearing cases in panels, the CT Supreme Court announced today that it would start acting like a Supreme Court and have all 7 justices decide each case. Instead of only a panel of 5 hearing oral argument, all 7 will be present during argument and vote on cases...

Ineffective Assistance in action

Posted on September 02, 2009
Via an anonymous PD, here is a transcript of some truly atrocious lawyering by a public defender in Virginia. Read it for yourself.

Maybe she?s in advertising?

Posted on August 31, 2009
Isn’t that what they say about advertising? You repeat things three times so people get it? Either that or she misunderstood the import of King Bruce’s lesson.

Sunday stupidity: beaten by a chair edition

Posted on August 30, 2009
Click here to view the embedded video.

The Fourth Amendment takes the red pill

Posted on August 28, 2009
And down the rabbit hole we go, with United States v. Comprehensive Drug Testing (aka the MLB steroid case). The decision brings fourth amendment and technology into version 2.0, otherwise called the digital age by essentially doing away with the plain view exception...

Mom, am I really 5?

Posted on August 26, 2009
Just saying, that by my very rough estimation, this blog (and its predecessor versions) is about 5 years old. Man, do I have a lot of free time. Just saying…

What I want to know is

Posted on August 26, 2009
How someone gets convicted of anything based on these facts: On March 19, 2005, the victim had fallen asleep on the living room couch in her mother?s home. Her mother awoke her and instructed her to go upstairs to bed so that the defendant could sleep on the couch...

Texas kills?..an innocent man?

Posted on August 25, 2009
The first half of the title of this post (shamelessly plagiarized from our good friends at CapDefWeekly) should come as no surprise to anyone. Texas is a powerhouse when it comes to executions, rapidly putting people to death. The second half of the title should also come as no surprise, though...

This and that?and that too

Posted on August 24, 2009
Links to stuff I don’t care to make into full-fledged posts: State to use stimulus for DNA testing: maybe now we’ll have to wait only 3 months for results. Study to measure effectiveness of restraining orders. Crime cameras on their way? More stories on the cost of seeking the death penalty...

Get off my lawn and into my jail, damn meddling kids

Posted on August 24, 2009
I’m a little late in “reporting” on this, but it’s worth pointing out. The esteemed Heritage Foundation has issued a new report/study/propaganda piece/Robert Ludlum laugh-a-thon titled “Adult Times for Adult Crimes: Life Without Parole for Juvenile Killers and Violent Teens”...

Self-portrait

Posted on August 24, 2009
Or something.

Crazy? Jail?s the place for you

Posted on August 23, 2009
This post has been a long time in the making. Over the past few months, I’ve had to deal with clients – and have observed other lawyers dealing with their clients� – who have severe mental health problems. And each one of us can tell you that there’s nothing more difficult – or more heartwrenching [...

Does the automobile exception permit search of a laptop?

Posted on August 21, 2009
Orin Kerr leads a discussion at Volokh.

Thursday is one day after link dump day

Posted on August 20, 2009
I have tried to think of something to write about – honestly – but most of the topics out there right now are just meh, so I’m gonna take the easy way out and give you some links to click on. Some of these are stories you’ve heard about ad nauseum already and some you’ve [...

Ooo, look: a sex offender (is doing what he should)

Posted on August 18, 2009
It seems as though Connecticut’s problems with its probate courts have been solved and they’re running all hunky-dory. How else can one explain the unsolicited comments by two probate judges (remember, these aren’t actual judges. In fact, they aren’t even lawyers...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled?

Posted on August 10, 2009
…radio silence to bring you this update: The world has ended. In the defense interview the prosecutor and the victim advocate decided to place Stilson on top of the table during the interview. It was such a surprise to the child (and the defense attorney) to see Stilson snoozing on the table that the child came out [...

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