In December, 2016, Massachusetts joined the growing list of states who have passed the legalization of recreational marijuana. As in the other states, recreational use is still illegal at the federal level, but the Department of Justice has been fairly hands-off, up until now. The Trump administration may increase federal…
Last week, police announced the seizure of 83 guns, with 10,000 rounds of ammo and a Nazi helmet from the house of a Massachusetts man. Robert Ivarson, 49, of Lexington, is facing civil rights and harassment charges for allegedly littering the driveway of a black family with banana peels. Following…
In my last blog, we discussed the case of two gentlemen who were taken into custody at Logan Airport and are facing heavy drug charges. They were arraigned in state court, The cases are unlikely to stay there, though. While they are currently in district court, they are likely to…
We have discussed a number of cases during which law enforcement is paying a great deal of attention on what is going on in the country’s airports. No, not simply for cases of potential terrorists. The last one, this weekend, involved trafficking. Narcotics trafficking. On Saturday, the authorities say that…
At the end of last week, the United States Attorney’s office issued a press release. The posting of it, as we have discussed in the past, as recently as last week, is apparently deemed necessary in LawenforcementLand to let us know that they are doing their job and arresting people.…
A Stoughton gent, I think we will soon hear, had a wacky sense of humor Unfortunately, it was not shared by those around him. In fact, what he apparently found clever was something that most of us find rather disturbing. As a result, Mr. Anthony Rae, 24 and hereinafter, the…
As we leavebehind July 4th weekend, we pause to think of those without liberty. This is a criminal lawyer’s blog, so that means incarcerated persons. Take 53-year-old Middle School Teacher Scott Peeler (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) for example. No, he has not been convicted of anything. He has been accused though.…
As you know, I have been ensconced in the criminal justice system since the early 1980’s. One of the perks of being around so long, and being fairly successful, is that various media outlets often contact me to discuss some development in criminal justice. They know that I am a…
Juries are often criticized in this country when folks don’t like the verdict they deliver. In my experience, though, jurors are not some ignorant bundle of jello-wobbling mindlessly from side to side during the trial, just waiting to pop out a verdict for the side with more money. In my…
As any regular reader of this blog knows, the idea that law enforcement, including prosecutors, and the truth, go their separate ways at times is sad, but true. One of the more often cited examples is contained in a dissent opinion of Chief Judge Alex Kolinsky of the United States…