Dear Readers,  Fifty (50) years ago, the United States Supreme Court issued two (2) landmark decisions in the same term designed to protect the rights of the accused.  In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court ordered that every person accused of a crime is entitled to state-paid court appointed attorney.  And, in Brady v. Maryland, the Supreme Court also held that the State must turn over all exculpatory evidence to a defendant.  These are truly cornerstones of our criminal justice system, whi...

Dear Readers,I only knew Jessica Wolfe, in passing, as one of the able assistants at the Houston County District Attorney's office. Her colleagues there, and in Houston County's criminal justice system, still weep for her too young death.  Her family mourns her absence, probably every minute of every day.Today, many of these champions for Jessica are in a state of shock.  Powerless, they watched last week while her murderer, Russell Holt, was permitted to plead guilty to only Manslaughter.  Sadl...

Dear Readers,We get asked about "grandparents' rights" from time-to-time and, since Georgia changed its law last May, this is a good time to review past and present law with respect to a grandparents and child custody issues.In acknowledgment of the importance of grandparents, the Georgia Legislature has provided some legal muscle for grandparents' rights.  One such reference you will find is at O.C.G.A. §19-7-1(b.1), concerning the rights of "third party" relatives, including grandparents, wher...

Dear Readers,I have, in the past, extolled the virtues of private lawsuits, pointing out that sometimes it takes trial attorneys to "right a wrong."  In watching news reports and reading articles about the Boston Marathon Bombing, I discovered a legal development that may change the face of the war on terrorism and, ironically, came to pass just two (2) days before Boston.Our reliance on our laws to combat evil in the world is not limited to criminal justice.  A different type example of how our...

Dear Readers,We seem to have no consensus on what to do with firearms in this country.  Some states are rushing to pass laws makingit easier to own firearms; other states are tightening their laws.  The NRA warns politicians to "toe the line"; Mayor Michael Bloomberg is using his impressive financial muscle to back gun reform candidates running in elections against "pro-gun" opponents.All of this cognitive dissonance is the wake from the Newtown massacre.  Presently, only brick and mortar firear...