New Legal News

In a  court ruling lauded by defense advocates as evidence that an unusual strange law is effective, an Illinois judge has created a pretrial ruling that a woman’s videotaped murder confession cannot  be used against her on account of police ignored her demands for an attorney.

Judge John Scotillo, who presides in Cook County, enforced the ruling Monday in the case of Diana Thames, 49, a  who is charged with murdering a friend and business partner at the victim’s suburban Chicago residence.

Authorities videotaped Thames’ confession, as required by a state law that went into effect July 1, 2005 and applies to capital cases. It was created because of many wrongful convictions, some in death penalty cases. Watching the video, it was apparent that officers had ignored Thames’ requests for a attorney—a “mind-boggling” violation of a elementary rule.

Police and prosecutors refused to make any statement, but the defendant’s lawyer, stated the ruling is unique.

This is in my opinion a great lesson for police departments.

Everyone is talking about Brian Jones. He’s a Public Defender in Ohio.

Judge Plough appointed Mr. Jones to be an attorney for Jordan Scott. The trial was resceduled from 11am to 1 30 pm, to allow the defense preparation time.
Just prior to the trial commencement Atty Jones informed the court he couldnt go on because he was not ready yet.  Apparently its policy not to take cases to trail on such a short notice. The judge held the public defender in contempt, and called for a sheriff to remove him from the courtroom.

The attorney spent 5 hours in jail before he was able to make bail.
This is the second time this judge has done this, and the other time it was the same situation. The judge will assign a public defender to a case that goes to trial 48 hours before the trial, giving the defense no time to prepare their arguments. Is this guy a Nazi? Wow.

Organizations that believe in fair trials are coming to Jones’ defense. Judge Plough seems unmoved.It seems this Judge has always been the center of controversy, including his election win to the office.

I cant help but ponder the amount, the actual number, of words said in a hour during a jury trial. the proper words can issue the most powerful images and consequently emotions. Of course words used wrong can be boring. A personal injury attorney then , has quite a big challenge. He needs to often educate the jury on a scientific subject, like accident reconstruction.

In a complex situation words alone are not adequate. On the other end of the spectrum, too many exhibits makes the trial chaotic, detracting from the gravity of the situation. The attorney must balance words with exhibits. Enlarged photographs are useful, as are properly enlarged medical transcripts. A visually colorful time line can be essential, moreso in a medical malpractice suit.

In an accident based on a construction accident the lawyer may want a model built, to simulate the scene where his client was injured. Sometimes the thinsg that are tangible work better than photos.

Modern toy chest’s seem to contain more fear of lead poisoning than the old lead based painted toys ever did previously.

Mattel announced earlier this week that their “Sarge line of die cast cars, that were brought in from China may contain lead levels too high for consumption in the states, and parents should consult with the Mattel site for more details.

Authorities say a driver’s lack of comprehension of English seems to have led to a collision between a train and a semi-truck in Kings Mountain, NC. The truck driver Ricardo Ercia was crossing multiple train lines within the muncipality, when he didn’t understand a traffic sign directing drivers to go through a second train crossing. There were no serious injuries.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations mandates that drivers be able to read and understand the English language.

Using foreigners to drive trucks in the united states is becoming a more and more heated and controversial subject within the industry. Its becoming very apparent that if the trucking industry could hire third worlders to do all the driving to save money, they would definately do so.

lets try keeping americans employed in america, neat concept? i like it!
For the last few years it has become increasingly evident that if the trucking industry could outsource driving jobs to third world countries to save money, it would do so.