Blog - January 2014

The NCDD Blog is for our members to comment on matters of general interest in the field of DUI Defense and to ask general questions concerning the topics posted. NCDD does not monitor or control answers from the various lawyers (many of whom are regarded as among the best in the country) who may respond and the answers or comments they provide are solely their own. Responses to questions and comments are not legal advice: they are only the opinions of the lawyer providing the answer or making the comment. No attorney client relationship is formed between the person who posts a question or comment and any attorney who posts an answer or comment. The NCDD Blog is not for the purpose of soliciting legal advice for any specific case and should not be relied upon for that purpose. No lawyer can provide advice for a specific case without far more information than can be included in a blog post. Furthermore, the NCDD Blog is not to be used in any form, for any marketing, advertising or solicitation by any author. If you need legal assistance or advice, consult a lawyer in your state. You can find NCDD member lawyers in your State listed under “Find an Attorney” in the menu to the left or at the top of the page. No opinion expressed by an attorney or other person on the NCDD Blog represents the opinion or views of the NCDD.

January 28, 2014

Hero or Harasser ? Hero I Say.

Man gets arrested for warning drivers about upcoming speed traps. He is also against how the speed traps are being enforced (cops hiding behind signs and jetting out weaving in and out of traffic to catch the speeders is more dangerous than most of the speeding driving they are pursuing). My two cents: this is a free country, he has a right to protest, and he makes a good point. I realize most cities now earn a necessary part of their administration fees through the traffic ticket fines ...read more

Posted by Mimi Coffey

January 28, 2014

Oral argument in Navarette v. California - or - Can Police Stop a Car for a Crime That Can't be Prosecuted?

The U.S. Supreme Court held oral argument last week in the case of Navarette v. California. This case presents the important issue of when police can stop a car based on an anonymous tip without corroborating the details provided by the caller. An anonymous caller informed police that Navarette’s vehicle was driving recklessly and almost ran them off the road. The caller provided a description of the vehicle. Police spotted the vehicle 19 miles down the road and followed for another ...read more

Posted by Leonard R. Stamm

January 25, 2014

Diversity and the National College for DUI Defense

NCDD has established a Diversity Committee to find, recruit and assist minority attorneys to become members of the College. We are reaching out to each state (through the Diversity Committee Members, our State Delegates and each individual member) to implement our STAR program (to Search for Talent And Recruit). One of our primary goals is to develop and train STARS to continue to further their professional learning ...read more

Posted by Virginia L. Landry

TAGS:
#Public Policy

January 23, 2014

Two American Stories that Illustrate the Presumption of Innocence

A DUI defense lawyer must be a scientist and a legal scholar. The most important skill of any trial lawyer, however, is storytelling. Stories are what we use to give emotional depth and impact to dry legal concepts. Personal stories are often best but sometimes stories from history are effective.

I have often used the story of the Boston Massacre trial to illustrate the significance of the jury system and the importance of the ...read more

Posted by Andrew Mishlove

January 7, 2014