Recent Blog Posts
Pennsylvania Declares Xylazine A Schedule III Controlled Substance
The aftershocks of the opioid epidemic have followed each other so quickly since the pill mills shut down in the middle of the last decade that it is hard to keep track of the newest opioids that are making headlines because of their newfound prevalence in the illegal drug supply. First heroin, which had… Read More »
Extradition And Interstate Rendition
Some criminal cases that stay in the news headlines for weeks or months at a time involve extradition. A defendant might be wanted for a crime in one country but be staying in another to avoid the criminal case, and it might take a while for the two countries to reach an agreement about… Read More »
Wiretap Evidence In Drug Trafficking Cases
Drug trafficking is one of the most serious charges you can face that does not involve violence or sex. Prison sentences for a drug trafficking conviction can last decades. Drug trafficking cases often go through the federal courts, as they often involve complex plans to transport illegal drugs across multiple states, or even multiple… Read More »
Jurisdiction In Pennsylvania Drug Cases
Jurisdiction is a court’s legal authority to issue a decision about a case. It is usually connected to a geographic area. For example, in a personal injury lawsuit stemming from a car accident, the courts of the state where the accident happened have jurisdiction, even if the plaintiff who got injured and the defendant… Read More »
Refusing A Search At A Traffic Stop Does Not Mean That You Are Guilty
Many drug-related arrests arise from traffic stops, but how do police know which cars contain drugs? It isn’t as if cars full of illegally obtained cannabis leave a trail of green leaves, or like cars full of cocaine leave a trail of white powder, like you might expect in a video game. Most of… Read More »
Scopolamine Is Not A Controlled Substance, But It Can Still Cause You Plenty Of Legal Problems
Except for the Schedule I drugs, every controlled substance is a prescription drug, but not every prescription drug is a controlled substance. Plenty of medications are not available over-the-counter, but the law does not consider them dangerous enough to impose the penalties for illicit drug possession if you possess them without a prescription. You… Read More »
Can The Scientific Method Make Or Break Your Criminal Case?
When you are a child, science experiments seem like just another game. The experiments in elementary school where you mix substances together and observe the appearance and physical properties of the results are the most fun parts of science class, certainly more fun than the classroom activities where the only materials are pencil and… Read More »
Contractor Faces Home Improvement Fraud Charges After Abandoning Unfinished Project
Some corporate jobs come with a windfall of perks, from free food leftover from catered events to use of an employer-provided car or furnished apartment. When you operate a very small business, the line between business and personal expenses is less than clear. At tax time, you open the calculator app on your phone… Read More »
A Life Sentence For Non-Fatal Domestic Violence Is Possible, But It Does Not Happen Overnight
The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Thus, the courts do not routinely hand down life sentences except in cases of murder, but life imprisonment for repeated convictions for non-lethal crimes is an option, and some so-called “three strikes laws” have required it. Thus, a California man is… Read More »
An Arrest Warrant For Your Housemate Can Mean Legal Trouble For You
Many of us would love to have our own space, an apartment or house where we can keep the kitchen as neat or as messy as we choose and watch movies late at night on the big TV in the living room instead of on our tiny phone screen with the sound turned low… Read More »
