The Knowledge Vault
Forensic Science. Criminal Defense Strategy. The Law Behind the Law.
Overview
Welcome to the Knowledge Vault — where the attorneys, scientists, and forensic experts at Deandra Grant Law share what we know. This is not a typical law firm blog. It is a research library built by practitioners who teach forensic science courses, grade certification exams, and testify as experts in courtrooms across Texas. Every article here is written or reviewed by our attorneys. We don’t publish filler — we publish the analysis we wish existed when we were building our own expertise.
Explore by Topic
Ask Deandra
Straight answers to the questions clients actually ask — practical guidance on Texas DWI and criminal charges, drawn from decades in the courtroom.
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Assault & Family Violence
How Texas defines assault and family violence, what a conviction really costs, and the defense strategies that protect your record and your rights.
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Criminal Defense
Core strategy, procedure, and rights every Texas defendant should understand — from arrest and arraignment through trial and appeal.
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Digital Forensics
How cell phone location data, social media records, body cameras, call detail records, and computer forensics affect criminal cases — and how to challenge them.
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Drug Crimes
Possession, penalty groups, and search-and-seizure challenges — plus roadside cannabis testing, marijuana rescheduling, and how Texas drug cases are really won and lost.
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DWI Defense
The science and law behind every DWI — blood and breath testing, the NHTSA field sobriety tests, and retrograde extrapolation. Written by attorneys who teach this material, including the first in Texas to pass the Forensic Sobriety Assessment Certification exam.
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Federal Criminal Defense
Federal conspiracy, sentencing guidelines, proffer sessions, grand jury investigations, and asset forfeiture — and the critical differences between state and federal prosecution. Written by attorneys who practice in federal courts across Texas.
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Firm News
Updates from Deandra Grant Law — speaking engagements, awards, team news, and what we're up to in and out of the courtroom.
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Forensic Science
Deep analysis of blood and breath testing, GC-FID calibration, partition-ratio variability, in vitro fermentation, retrograde extrapolation, and the pharmacokinetics of impairment — by attorneys who don't just challenge the science, they teach it.
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Gavel of Shame
A running series on judicial misconduct — the reprimands, suspensions, and abuses of power that erode trust in the bench.
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Gun Crimes
Texas and federal weapons charges explained — unlawful carry, prohibited weapons, felon-in-possession, and the defenses that apply.
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Hot Takes
The latest on high-profile trials, changes to the law, rulings by the Supreme Court, and forensic science news.
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Murder Defense
Capital murder, manslaughter, self-defense, and sudden passion — how the most serious cases in Texas are defended.
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Sex Crimes
Outcry witnesses, SANE exams, DNA evidence challenges, false accusations, registry implications, and defense strategies for the most serious allegations.
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The Defense Files
Where sports and the justice system collide — athlete arrests and high-profile cases, broken down by defense attorneys.
See blogs (25)Most Recent
When a Courtroom Goes Dark: A Judge’s Decline, a Sealed Record, and the Rights of the Accused
Jailed for Answering a Jury Summons: A Justice of the Peace, Four Arrests and a Public Reprimand
Ask Deandra: What Is the Difference Between Intoxication Assault and Intoxication Manslaughter?
Thomas Partey: Pending Charges and How Texas Frames a Sexual-Assault Case
Rico v. United States: A Quiet but Real Limit on How Long Federal Supervised Release Can Last
Ask Deandra: What Is DWI with a Child Passenger and Why Is It a Felony?
When the Evidence Is AI-Generated: The Take It Down Act, Section 1466A, and What the Strahler Case Means for Criminal Defense
By Douglas E. Huff | Partner, Deandra Grant Law | Dallas, Texas On April 7, 2026, the United States Attorney…
Texas CLR Connect: A New Statewide Forensic Discovery Portal, and What It Will (and Won’t) Change
In August 2026, if the rollout stays on schedule, the way crime-laboratory records reach Texas criminal defendants will change. Not…
The Judge Had a YouTube Channel: A Public Warning Over a Livestreamed Courtroom and Conduct From the Bench
How Bexar County district judge Stephanie Boyd earned a Public Warning from the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct THE…
Two Admonitions in One Day: A Senior Judge, an Ex Parte Call and Slurs in the Courtroom
How Bexar County senior district judge Mark Luitjen earned two Public Admonitions from the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct…
Arson Convictions, Cameron Todd Willingham, and Texas’s Junk Science Writ
In late April 2026, The Appeal reported on the appeal of Maria Montalvo, a New Jersey woman convicted in 1996…
Daniel Ross: A Frisco Traffic Stop, a Gun and the Hemp-Law Problem
By Deandra Grant & Griffin Grant Welcome to The Defense File, where we examine the criminal cases of public figures…
Adam “Pacman” Jones: Talent, Trouble, and a Pattern of Charges
By Deandra Grant & Griffin Grant Welcome to The Defense File, where we examine the criminal cases of public figures…
Ask Deandra: Can I Get a DWI in Texas if I’m Only on Prescription Medication?
Prepared June 2026 By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist The question: Can I get a DWI…
Ask Deandra: Can I Get a DWI for Marijuana or Edibles in Texas?
texasdwisite.com/blog/ — Prepared June 2026 By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist The question: Can I get…
Ask Deandra: What’s the Difference Between a DWI and a DUI in Texas?
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S. (Pharmaceutical Science), ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist The question: What’s the difference between a DWI and a…
Ask Deandra: How Do Police Prove a Drug-Based DWI Without a Blood Test?
The question: How do police prove a drug-based DWI without a blood test? The short answer: They do it through…
How An Escrow Account and Side Business Took Down a Judge
By Deandra Grant, J.D., M.S., ACS-CHAL NATIONAL EDITION — AND A WORD ON THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE The Gavel…
The Judge Who Steered Half a Million Dollars to Her Childhood Friend
A sixteen-year domestic relations judge from the Cleveland Celebrezze political dynasty bypassed Ohio’s random case assignment rules to hand-pick lucrative…
Can Police Get Into Your iPhone? How Apple’s New Security Is Reshaping Digital Evidence
By Douglas E. Huff | Partner, Deandra Grant Law | Dallas, Texas In March 2026, Apple released iOS 26.4. Buried…
The Michael Morton Act, the Richard Miles Act and the Heath Opinion Now Under Fire
Most people who are not lawyers do not think much about criminal discovery. It sounds like procedure which is the…
The Complete Guide to Court-Ordered Alcohol Monitoring Devices in Texas DWI Cases
SCRAM, Ignition Interlock, Soberlink, and the New Wave of Wearables — What They Are, Who Makes Them, and Where the…
The Habeas Petition That Waited Years for an Answer
How Harris County district judge Lori Gray earned a Public Warning from the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct …
New Study: Recreational Cannabis Users Test Like Non-Users
A study published earlier this year in the peer-reviewed journal Comprehensive Psychiatry took a careful look at a question that…
Pitchford v. Cain: What a Batson Challenge Is, and Why the Jury Is Often Decided Before the First Witness
By Deandra Grant | Deandra Grant Law | Dallas, Texas On May 28, 2026, the United States Supreme Court reversed…
The Post-it Note That Released a Mother from Jail
How Wilson County Justice of the Peace Jared Shaw earned a Public Reprimand from the Texas State Commission on Judicial…
Ask Deandra: Can I Be Arrested for DWI in Texas if I’m Under 0.08?
The question: Can I be arrested for DWI in Texas if my BAC is under 0.08? The short answer: Yes.…
Ask Deandra: Should I Answer the Officer’s Questions After a DWI Arrest?
The question: Should I answer the officer’s questions after a DWI arrest? The short answer: Almost never beyond identifying yourself.…
Deandra Grant to Present on Auto-Brewery Syndrome at the 2026 IAFTC Annual Conference
We are proud to announce that Deandra Grant, Managing Partner of Deandra Grant Law, will present on Auto-Brewery Syndrome at…
A Reprimand Without a Name
How a federal judge in the Eleventh Circuit received discipline for an affair in chambers, a partisan political event, and…
A 120-Page Complaint
How a complaint by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission led to the suspension of Jefferson County Probate Judge Yashiba G.…
The Midnight Hearing That Never Happened
How Harris County district judge Natalia Cornelio earned a Public Reprimand and why this one is still being fought …
The Bock Sentencing: Why She Received 500 Months in Federal Prison
On May 21, 2026, U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel sentenced Aimee Bock, the founder and executive director of the Minnesota…
The Judge Who Tried to Pick Her Own Successor
THE GAVEL OF SHAME • CASE FILE NO. 2 How Fannin County district judge Laurine Blake earned a Public Admonition…
Probabilistic DNA Software in the Courtroom: What Defense Lawyers Need to Watch For
This month Cybergenetics (the company behind the TrueAllele probabilistic genotyping system) announced the launch of the TrueAllele Investigative Database (TA-ID),…