Criminal Defense
Core strategy, procedure, and rights every Texas defendant should understand — from arrest and arraignment through trial and appeal.
Latest in Criminal Defense
When Drug Distribution Becomes a Homicide Case: Lessons from the Matthew Perry Sentencing
On April 8, 2026, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett sentenced Jasveen Sangha (the Los Angeles drug dealer federal prosecutors called the “Ketamine Queen”) to 15 years in federal prison for distributing…
Criminal Justice Reform in 2026: What It Means for Texas Defendants
National headlines about criminal justice reform in 2026 tell a story of accelerating bipartisan progress at the state level: more reform laws passed in 2025 than in 2024, and a growing list…
How Do Police Track Your Online Activity And Can That Evidence Be Challenged?
Law enforcement agencies have increasingly sophisticated tools for monitoring and documenting internet activity. They can track the websites you visit, the files you download, the searches you perform, and the communications you…
What to Do if You’re Falsely Accused of Sexual Assault in Texas
Few things are more terrifying than being accused of something you did not do and few accusations carry more devastating consequences than sexual assault. In Texas, a sexual assault conviction is a…
How Killing a Cop Went from Murder to Manslaughter
A New York jury recently acquitted Guy Rivera of first-degree murder in the 2024 shooting death of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller during a traffic stop in Queens. Rivera was convicted of manslaughter…
When Restraining a Student Becomes a Criminal Charge: What Texas Teachers Need to Know About Injury to a Child
A veteran teacher with twenty-something years in the classroom, no disciplinary history, no prior criminal record. A student in crisis who is physically dangerous, injuring themselves or others and beyond the reach…
When Protest Becomes Terrorism: What the Prairieland Verdict Means for Texas Defendants
On March 13, 2026, a federal jury in Fort Worth returned guilty verdicts against nine defendants connected to a July 4, 2025 incident outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.…
Why Being Charged Twice Isn’t Double Jeopardy: Luigi Mangione and Parallel State and Federal Prosecutions
At a February 2026 hearing, Luigi Mangione stood up in a Manhattan courtroom and told the judge: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense…
Deferred Adjudication in Texas: What It Is, Who Qualifies, and What Happens to Your Record
Deferred adjudication is one of the most commonly misunderstood options in Texas criminal law. Defendants hear the phrase, assume it means their case goes away, and are surprised later when they discover…
What Is an Appeal — and Why Did Diddy’s Team Get Theirs Heard So Fast?
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted in July 2025 on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution under the Mann…