California Criminal Defense Lawyers
California Criminal & DUI Defense Lawyers
Jury nullification doesn’t get the attention it deserves—you may have not even heard of it. To some, it’s a way of skirting the “proper” route of justice, but to others it’s a powerful statement to the courts that the people are opposed to the ethics of the case at hand. Discussions about jury nullification are rare, but stories of elected officials actually urging it are unheard of. Until now. [Read more…]
The Justice Department (and the federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies underneath it) aren’t really sure how they want to treat medical marijuana dispensaries. One moment we hear they are a “low priority” and the next we see agents raiding them with weapons drawn. In their wishy-washy behavior, it’s not surprising to see they are now seeking to seize a building that once housed a dispensary. It’s not surprising, but it’s still troubling and enraging. [Read more…]
In a gardener’s nightmare, 32 homes in Santa Rosa were raided a month ago. The crime: growing pot, and lots of it. According to the Press Democrat, nearly every house in the neighborhood—which lies just south of the Corby Auto Mall—had a crop growing in the backyard. [Read more…]
Legal battles continue between states where medical cannabis is lawful, and the Federal Government which doesn’t recognize the legal standing of dispensaries licences by the state.
The federal government would love nothing more than to shutter the doors of all medical marijuana dispensaries in the country, regardless of how the dispensaries are adhering to state law and regardless of what the people of the country want. Such is the case in Oakland, where the U.S. Attorney for the northern district of California filed to have the state’s largest dispensary closed and the property seized. Now, the City of Oakland is fighting back. [Read more…]
What happens if you overdose on drugs and are sent to a hospital? Well, obviously, they try to help you. But, what if you have drugs or paraphernalia in your pocket? Unfortunately, in most cases, you are arrested as soon as you are released. [Read more…]
One of the rallying cries of the failed Drug War has something to do with stopping the violence related to illegal drugs. However, the government seems to miss the point when simply legalizing marijuana would prevent many tragedies from occurring. Case in point: the murder of 26-year old Shawn West. [Read more…]
Usually it’s the defense lawyers and the drug legalization advocates that refer to addiction and drugs in general as a “public health matter,” and not something that needs to be handled in the criminal courts. But, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón believes the same thing—quite a statement for someone in his position. This position paired with limited funds has led the San Francisco Police Department to focus less and less on drug crimes in recent months. [Read more…]
A 60 year old civilian employee at the San Francisco Police Department’s crime lab was recently found to have been suspected of removing cocaine from evidence bags that she processed. In response, the state Attorney General announced he would be sending officials in to conduct an independent audit of the lab. [Read more…]