Author name: Benson Varghese

Updated: July 22, 2019 – Here are the 40 new criminal law legislative changes you need to be aware of from the 86th legislative session in Texas. Most of the new laws took effect on September 1, 2019. This article will be periodically updated with more changes to criminal laws that are going into effect […]

What is the First Step Act? The First Step Act, formally known as the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, signed into law on December 21, 2018, is a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that aims to reduce the federal prison population and improve prison conditions. It introduces a risk and

The Court of Criminal Appeals handed down State v. Martinez , answering whether the State’s testing of blood previously drawn by hospital personnel for medical purposes constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment. In facts similar to those in State v. Martinez, in 1991 the Court of Criminal Appeals handed down the plurality opinion in State v. Comeaux that

If you follow the news, you’ve undoubtedly heard and seen the term “witness tampering” time and again. In recent years, a number of public figures have been accused – either formally or in the news media – of witness tampering or witness intimidation in the midst of ongoing federal investigations. And while the latest headlines

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently went to great lengths to explain how it came to decision with a different result than the United States Supreme Court in Carpenter v. U.S. In Sims v. State, the Court of Criminal Appeals determined a search warrant was not required when using real-time cell site location information

The Supreme Court, in Timbs v. Indiana, recently handed down a unanimous decision that may be the death knell for “policing by profit,” limiting both police and prosecutors across the country. The Court held that the Eighth Amendment protection against excessive fines, including forfeiture of property, applies to states. This holding will limit asset forfeiture

Case analytics are big business in the world of civil litigation. They help lawyers understand what cases are worth, what motions a given judge is most likely to grant, and what juries are doing in a specific jurisdiction. While each case is unique, this data helps shape litigation strategy, manage client expectations, and even provide