Category Archives: Criminal Law

Dec 13 2024

Defense Discovery of Evidence in Criminal Cases In Texas

Discovery in criminal cases in Texas has a tortured history. The State's discovery statute, Article 39.14 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, was…

Dec 07 2024

Michael Morton, Art. 39.14, and Brady v. Maryland: An Affirmative Duty To Disclose As Soon As Practicable

Last month, we posted a piece about a landmark decision, Heath v. State, in which the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that a…

Nov 27 2024

Can the Police Search Your Car During a Traffic Stop?

Can the police search your car during a traffic stop? As usual, the answer to this legal question is “it depends.” Some of the…

Nov 15 2024

Landmark Discovery Decision in Texas

Dwayne Robert Heath was arrested in 2017 in Waco, Texas, for the charge of injury to a child. He was indicted on February 15,…

Aug 20 2024

The Politics of Crime Solves Nothing

Crime has always been and will remain a hot-button political issue. Misinformation, misrepresentations, and outright lies have become the cornerstone of American politics at…

Jul 08 2024

Deferred Adjudication is Not a Felony Conviction

In April 2021, Shanea Lynn Reeder was arrested in Wheeler County for unlawful possession of a firearm. The arrest followed a consent-to-search of Reeder’s…

Jul 03 2024

The Return of The King to the American Throne

King George III was the King of Great Britain at the time of the American Revolutionary War—a successful war fought by English colonists determined…

May 27 2024

Prosecutors Use of Extraneous Evidence of Rap Videos Results in New Trial

Extraneous offense evidence is always prejudicial in a criminal trial in Texas—much more so in the guilt/innocence phase than in the punishment phase. The…

Nov 22 2023

Houston’s Legal Response to Hate Crimes: Recent Cases & Laws

The United States in recent years has experienced a troubling surge in hate crimes. Major cities, including Houston, face significant challenges addressing what has…