Criminal Defense

Most of us have been pulled over by police while driving at least once or twice in our lives. It can be an upsetting ordeal. While the police officer is processing your identification and deciding what action to take regarding the traffic stop, he or she may ask to search your vehicle. What are your […]

If you have been arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), you may soon be required to install a breath alcohol ignition interlock device. These devices are designed to prevent individuals who have previously been convicted of a DUI from driving under the influence of alcohol. There are many questions surrounding ignition interlock

In 1966, the Supreme Court case Arizona v. Miranda established that suspects taken into police custody to be questioned must be informed of their constitutional rights against self-incrimination. In the case, Ernesto Miranda was taken into custody for kidnapping and rape charges and confessed to them before he was told he had the right to

According to Illinois law, a person can be charged with a hate crime when he or she commits certain offenses and is motivated by the actual or perceived characteristics of another person or a group of people. These characteristics include race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and disability status. The offenses that can

When a criminal defendant is presented with a possible plea bargain, one of the primary incentives to accept the agreement is a reduced sentence in exchange for pleading guilty. This means that refusing the agreement requires the defendant to risk a more severe sentence if he or she is found guilty at trial. The difference

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to be “secure” from “unreasonable searches and seizure,” and that this right can only be violated upon a showing of probable cause. While the text of the Fourth Amendment has not changed in almost 230 years, the application of its promises has been

White-collar crime is an interesting and unique classification of criminal behavior. Unlike many other crimes, white-collar crime is nonviolent crime that is typically perpetrated by those of high socioeconomic status or occupational responsibility. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has defined white-collar crime as illegal acts characterized by concealment or violation of trust, which are

Memorial Day is a holiday in the United States when citizens remember the men and women who died while serving in the military, often visiting cemeteries and memorials to honor the fallen soldiers. Unfortunately, this past Memorial Day weekend, a southern Illinois cemetery was vandalized with images of swastikas painted on gravestones just days before

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to two and a half years at the Illinois Department of Corrections for pleading guilty to aggravated street racing. The incident resulted in the death of a 49-year-old man and the injury of his 15-year-old daughter. The Case The incident took place in December of 2015 when the man, who

For many of us, the main times we interact with the police is during traffic stops. Most people who have been diving for a few years have been pulled over at least once by police. Often, those who have committed a minor traffic violation, such as driving slightly faster than the speed limit, will only