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Incarcerating the Innocent

Let’s say you were accused of a serious crime you did not commit.  You have no witnesses for your alibi, but the police have several eyewitnesses against you.  You vow to fight the charges in court even though you have no money and will have to rely on a public defender.  The day before you are to head to trial and face a possible 10-year conviction, the prosecution offers you a deal.  Plead to a lesser charge and you’ll be out of prison in 6 months with good time credit and parole.  You’ll be a convicted felon, but you’ll be incarcerated for less than a year.  Do you take the deal and plead to a crime you did not commit?  Or do you risk losing it all in a jury trial and facing a mandatory decade stretch in the can if you lose?

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Concealing the Prison Tat

If you have a tattoo placed on your own skin by your own free will — and if you are going to court — should the State be required to pay a cosmetologist to cover your ink so you’ll get a fair trial?  Can a tattoo ever be unfairly prejudicial?

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Barry Bonds: Legal Doubt with a Moral Certainty

Major League player Barry Bonds is within a swing or two of passing Babe Ruth as the number two all-time home run slugger in baseball history. There is, however, a taint that stinks up Bonds and his run at Hank Aaron’s number one record and last week in Philadelphia, the fans told him, and the world, they know what he did to be able to challenge Ruth’s record and they refused to play along and shut up about his leading role in the Steroids Era of baseball.

Barry Bonds

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Making it Worth the White Man's While: Jury Duty in the Shadow of O.J. Simpson

Jury Duty is a Civic Duty that many of us dread because it directly interferes with the every day business of our ordinary lives. The tricks on just how to get out of serving on a Jury are as wild and wicked as the day is long. For the record, I’m a self-confessed, big, dumb, White Bohunk originally from Nebraska and this is my story of serving on a New York City Jury. First, let’s take a look at how I got there.

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Ugly Ass Shoes that Fit Like a Glove

I’ve been able to restrain myself until this moment from writing about the O. J. Simpson matter, but now, with the return of the liable verdict against The Juice from The Jury — the time is ripe for picking a response. For over 2.7 years, the Goldmans and the Browns have suffered the loss of their beloved children while a dismayed nation looked upon their plight with pity and terror. While many of you are familiar with much of the case, allow me a moment to address some of the hotter issues as I see them.

Continue reading → Ugly Ass Shoes that Fit Like a Glove