Category Archives: Criminal Defense
What are your first amendment rights as a protester?
The recent events that occurred throughout the United States involving police brutality exercised against black individuals, specifically the death of George Floyd while in custody of the Minneapolis police in May, have generated large protests against police brutality and systemic racism. These protests have taken place in cities all over the country. The response… Read More »
Qualified Immunity and Police Reform
What is Qualified Immunity? Qualified immunity was initially developed by the Supreme Court in its interpretation and application of the Civil Right Act of 1871. It seeks to protect individual public officials from lawsuits alleging that the official in question violated the plaintiff’s rights in the performance of their official duty. This protection applies… Read More »
First and Second-Degree Murder in Nevada Explained
It is a well-known principle of our criminal law system that the crime of murder is divided into degrees. Less known, perhaps, is what makes up the distinction between these degrees. Often, the distinction is based upon details of the commission of the crime or related to the perpetrator’s intent. Nevada law contains a… Read More »
Changes to Nevada Burglary Laws Effective July 1, 2020
Last June, a criminal justice bill passed in the Nevada legislature, as reported by the Nevada Current. Among the changes that AB236 effects are changes to Nevada’s burglary law that will become effective July 1, 2020. These changes include, among other things, a revised definition of the crime of burglary and a revised classification… Read More »
Mitigating the Spread of COVID-19 in Nevada’s Jails and Prisons
Since it began early this spring, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised some significant and particular concerns for the health and safety of individuals who live or work in residential facilities. Detainees and staff members at correctional facilities across the United States fall within this group, and outbreaks of the virus at such facilities have… Read More »
E-Sports Betting in Nevada
The shutdown of traditional sporting events, games, and competitions is just one of the ways in which COVID-19 has affected our daily lives. The effect of these shutdowns has hit especially hard in regions where sports betting is legal. With major public sporting events in this country on hold indefinitely, sportsbooks and sports gamblers… Read More »
Forgery Crimes: Establishing or Possessing a Financial Forgery Laboratory
Forgery is a crime that involves many potential criminal acts under Nevada law. Under Nevada state law, forgery can include, among other things, falsely counterfeiting, altering, making, erasing or obliterating documents. The crime of forgery is considered to be a “white collar” crime because it is not a crime of violence; also, the crime… Read More »
Reports Note Recent Drops in Crime Rates
The past few weeks have seen a decrease in crimes rates. This decrease is apparent locally, nationally, and across the world, according to many recently collected statistics and available reports. Examples of countries far across the world where statistics indicate that crime has decreased significantly include South Africa, along with countries in Latin America,… Read More »
Federal and Nevada State RICO Laws – An Overview
Federal RICO laws that were designed fifty years ago to combat organized crime are in the news today. That’s because a criminal prosecution of members of a biker gang charged with violating federal RICO laws that had been proceeding in federal district court in Nevada is over, according to recent news reports. US News… Read More »
Criminal Contempt
When we think of crime generally, we most often think of crime that targets individual victims (murder, kidnapping, and abuse and neglect, for example) or specific property (arson, burglary, and theft, for example). There are other crimes, however, perhaps less commonly considered, that target the public as their victim. Under Nevada law, crimes against… Read More »
