Mark Bennett | July 3, 2008
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the […]
Mark Bennett | May 23, 2008
Collin County DA John Roach has, after 18 months in which his office spent 5,000 man-hours and more than $47,000 re-investigating the case, announced that there is no longer a good-faith basis for upholding the conviction of Michael Blair: Therefore, under my duty to not only uphold the law but to see that justice is […]
Mark Bennett | May 7, 2008
I’m helping host two communicating-with-juries workshops (with Joshua Karton) and the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association annual banquet in the next two days. Could there be a more inopportune time for me to lose my voice? (Answer: yes, actually: in the middle of a trial.)
Mark Bennett | April 14, 2008
Two recent news items, perhaps pertinent to the question of whether prosecutors lead more sheltered existences than self-employed lawyers: In Searching for New Job, Gonzales Sees No Takers — New York Times and Law of Criminal Defense — And you think the economy sucks? Ask any criminal-defense lawyer Let me sum up: former top prosecutor can’t […]
Mark Bennett | April 8, 2008
From the agenda: Request for discussion and possible action for Management Services to provide a study and recommendations on the feasibility of establishing a Public Defender Office in Harris County.
Mark Bennett | March 28, 2008
Via NPR, this StoryCorps story about Julio Diaz, who was getting off a subway in the Bronx when a teenage boy approached and pulled a knife: “He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, ‘Here you go,’” Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, “Hey, wait […]
Mark Bennett | March 27, 2008
From NewsLI.com (little known geographical fact: Texas is so big that Amarillo is actually closer to Long Island, New York than it is to Houston) comes this story about a successful marijuana defense by Jeff Blackburn: A Texas patient who uses medical marijuana to treat the symptoms of HIV won acquittal on marijuana possession charges […]
Mark Bennett | March 27, 2008
Robb Myers, one of the commenters on my guest blogger’s nullification post, included this little gem in his comment: “There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order.” –Ed Howdershelt Perfect.
Mark Bennett | March 27, 2008
As soon as I get a mention on Fark.com, my website crashes. Thanks so much, Lunarpages. I’ll be looking for a new ISP.
Mark Bennett | March 25, 2008
I said yesterday that what’s important about the Chronicle writing that Kelly Siegler admonished other lawyers to “make people afraid” is that jurors know about it. Why? Because I think people are much less likely to be manipulated if they know that someone is going to be trying to manipulate them. If a prosecutor gets up in […]
Total: 828,989 Words
