criminal law

Many people are unaware of what the difference between a private criminal lawyer and a public attorney is. The explanation is rather straightforward. A public defender is the legal representation that is provided to a person who is unable to afford one. The public defender is thus charged to protect the interests of the clients while being paid by the government. But before a public defender is awarded to the accused individual, an eligibility test is carried out involving an assessment of a...

The Justice Department has announced that no criminal charges will be filed in the Bush administration’s dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys in late 2006. The decision, however, is not an exoneration of the Bush officials, including former attorney general Alberto R. Gonzales. The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility concluded in a lengthy 2008 report that Mr. Gonzales and others had made a series of “inaccurate and misleading”...

Just a few weeks after Duval County Public Defender Matt Shirk hired Rosalie Bolin — a death penalty mitigation specialist who is married to a Florida Death Row inmate — Shirk canceled her contract Tuesday. Shirk said while her experience, prior successes and unique perspective on capital punishment would normally enhance his office’s capital crimes unit, he also cited her “well-publicized and colorful personal life that has grabbed the attention of many in the 4th Judicial Circuit, including...

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