Electronic Surveillance: Wiretaps, Warrants & Defenses
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For most of us, when the “government” and “wiretapping” are mentioned in the same sentence, a couple of individual comes to mind—J. Edgar Hoover being one of them (Nixon, the other). We have all heard about “Hoover’s Secret Files” and numerous illegal microphones and wiretaps that H...
Remember your teenage and college days? The days when
you or your peers made downright stupid decisions and that—if caught—could have
landed you in handcuffs. I remember being in college and hanging out at the
local midnight diner. One night, a group of other college students were sitting
next ...
Generally, there are two types of evidence presented
during a trial—direct evidence and circumstantial evidence. Under the Rules of
Evidence, there is no legal distinction between the two. In the movies and in
real life, we have often heard defense attorneys attack their opponent’s case
by argu...
There is no doubt that opening and closing arguments are important stages of a jury trial.
But, it is the process of voir dire that gives an attorney the opportunity to
pull the truth out about a juror’s beliefs and biases. In fact, the phrase
“voir dire” derives from a Middle French oath mea...
“It
is impossible to be sure of anything but death and taxes.”
We have all heard this saying before. In fact, it was
first said during the dawn of the 18th century and is now a common idiom
in our English language. Here at Bixon Law, we have discovered another truism
in life—people fight,...
If you were arrested and
made bail but failed to appear in court, you could be facing a bail jumping
charge for violating the conditions of your bail. But, maybe you simply just
missed your court date or maybe your absence from court was due to
circumstances beyond your control. If you are question...
The state of Georgia has
various gun licensing requirements. Such laws outline when a person needs a
license to carry a handgun, where a person can carry a handgun and the
penalties for violating Georgia’s gun laws. There are also certain types of
firearms that are prohibited in the state of Geor...
With the Christmas
holiday over, retailers are now processing thousands of returns. People are
returning unwanted appliances, too little sweaters, too big shoes and other
items for various reasons. Items are being returned online and also,
traditionally, by people standing in long lines at Walmart,...
You are facing a robbery conviction and you have questions.
First, you are wondering if you can be charged with robbery if you didn’t use a
weapon? Second, all you did was snatch the woman’s purse and ran. How can you
be charged with robbery without using any force or making any threats? Third,...
While many cases involving juveniles are handled by the Juvenile Court system, there are some that are transferred to Superior Court where a child under the age of 17 can be tried as an adult. If you visit the Georgia Department of Corrections website, you can view the profiles of juveniles (both m...
“Freeway” Ricky Ross, Demetrius and Terry Flenory and Frank
Lucas are among some of America’s most famous drug lords. Another fact that
they all have in common is that they were introduced to the world of drugs as
minors. “Freeway” Ricky Ross has reportedly said that he was introduced to
...
LifeLock. We have all seen the commercials, advertising their identify-theft protection services. “LifeLock looks for use of your personal information, and with proprietary technology, alerts you to a wide range of potential threats to your identity,” according to the company’s website. And, ...
Despite
public opinion these days, the job of law enforcement officers is to serve and
protect the communities which they police. Therefore, when crimes are committed
against people in the community, it is law enforcement’s duty to investigate
such crimes in a fair and unbiased manner. However, w...
We have all heard of warrants being issued:
arrest warrants, search warrants and bench warrants. All issued by a legal or
government official authorizing a body of law enforcement to arrest a person,
search a person’s property or “administer justice” in some form or fashion.
But, did you also...
Human trafficking has become a global crisis. Each year, the number of missing young girls and boys continues to rise—kidnapped, abducted or lured away with promises of work in the entertainment business such as modeling or even promises of making money working as nannies for wealthy families. An...
Georgia has always been a conservative state with a history of cracking down on unregulated gambling activities. It is simply not a “gambling-friendly” state. There are still strict laws against gambling here in Georgia and it’s not always easy to distinguish between the illegal and legal gam...
Many states, including the state of Georgia, have amended their
burglary laws. Traditionally, burglary in Georgia was defined as the breaking
and entering into a dwelling at night with the intent to commit a felony
therein. Today—whether night or day—a person can be charged and convicted of
bur...
Desperate and
stressful financial times often lead people to make poor decisions that result
in them breaking the law. A common financial crime committed during such times
is deposit account fraud which, essentially, occurs when a person makes a
payment with a financial instrument such as a che...
Simple
Assault in Georgia: Is Physical Contact or Specific Intent Required?
Under Georgia law, simple assault is categorized as a “Crime
Against the Person.” It is a category of offenses that can be easily
misunderstood. Many people who don’t have in-depth knowledge of the law may
think th...
Whether a house fire or a wildfire, fires are
either accidentally or intentionally set and as with every fire, people’s lives
and property are at risk. Accidents happen; however, if someone intentionally
sets a fire he or she could be charged with arson. In the state of Georgia, the
crime of ...