Texas has many degrees of homicide, even though the state does not refer to the crimes in that fashion. There are four levels of homicide charges in Texas. They range in punishment from a state jail felony all the way up to the potential for life in prison or even the death penalty. None of…
Federal criminal charges cover a lot more area than they used to. In the early days of the republic, there were few federal criminal charges. After the ratification of the Constitution, Congress passed a law creating a total of 17 federal crimes. These included treason, forgery of federal documents, and murder within a federal facility,…
There are criminal charges, and then there are criminal charges. For some charges, you might wonder whether you really need to get a lawyer. Those tend to be misdemeanor charges. Even then, you usually would be dealing with lower level misdemeanor charges. Once you get into felony territory, you should not even question whether you…
Some people think that having a few drinks with friends is really no reason not to drive home. Many people, at least every now and then, drink and then drive and assume that nothing really bad will happen. Most of the time, they are right, and they make it home safely. But for some people,…
If you are in government custody, whether as a convicted prisoner or as someone detained in jail while awaiting trial, that does not have to be the end of the story. You have avenues to challenge whether your detention is lawful. You can file a petition with the proper court seeking a decision on whether…
All felonies are serious. Even “minor” felonies such as state jail felonies can completely disrupt your life with prison time, big fines, and a criminal record that will never go away and can cause you all kinds of trouble in getting housing, employment, even student loans. But all of that is small change compared to…
Anyone who has ever read the United States Constitution knows that the Fourth Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, bans “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Anyone who has ever watched a police or legal show on television knows that police need a warrant to make a search. That is, in fact, the way the system…
If you are arrested and charged with a misdemeanor, it is easy to dismiss it as “just a misdemeanor.” That would be a mistake. Yes, even the least serious felonies carry more serious penalties than any misdemeanor, but that does not diminish the seriousness of what conviction of a misdemeanor can bring. I can potentially…
They say that breaking up is hard to do, and that is particularly true when it comes to your criminal records, especially if you live in Texas. Only five states have no law that allows people to have criminal records expunged or sealed. 14 states have laws permitting the expungement, sealing, or setting aside of…
Every state has various degrees of criminal charges. That includes felonies. In most states, there are three degrees of felonies – first-, second-, and third-degree. First-degree felonies are the worst crimes and carry the most severe punishments. Texas has a category of felonies that is a little unusual, however. The Texas criminal code includes crimes…
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