The Florida Supreme Court recently overturned the first-degree murder conviction for a 2013 crime committed when he was a teenager. He was supposed to be in prison until he was in his 70s. Now, assuming he gets no further time, he’ll walk out in his 40s. That’s a rare outcome.…
Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney Blog
South Florida Defense Attorney’s Take: When One Defendant’s Trash is a Prosecutor’s Treasure
The saying goes that one man’s trash is the next man’s treasure, basically meaning that we all place different value on material goods. But in the case of a South Florida defense attorney, it’s more likely to refer to the fact that you’re literal trash may be the treasure of…
Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer: When is Case Delay Worthy of Dismissal?
If you are accused of a crime in Fort Lauderdale, you are guaranteed the right to a speedy trial. That means that criminal cases can be successfully dismissed if there are prosecutorial delays that violate a defendant’s due process right to a speedy trial. But what is the exact period…
Rude Gesture to Police: Inadvisable, But Not Illegal, Federal Judge Rules
Our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys generally advise clients that when interacting with law enforcement, one should be firmly quiet – but generally polite. That last part is more for your benefit than theirs; police officers have a fair amount of discretion, and you risk greater scrutiny and harsher treatment…
Hidden Cameras Used by Florida Law Enforcement Come Under Fire
The hidden cameras used in a South Florida prostitution sting are drumming up nearly as much discussion as news of a billionaire sports team owner’s arrest for solicitation of prostitution. According to reporting and analysis published in The Sun Sentinel, the question is whether allegations of sex trafficking are sufficient…
Florida Medical Marijuana: Does it Impact Vehicle “Sniff-and-Search”?
Florida has allowed possession and sale of marijuana for medicinal purposes since 2014 per the Compassionate Use Act, with expanded qualifying conditions effective in 2017, per the passage of Amendment 2. Miami marijuana defense attorneys at The Ansara Law Firm know many communities, including Broward and Miami-Dade, “decriminalized” the possession…
Penalizing Pot in Florida: When Is it Pot, and When Is It Not?
Florida has allowed medicinal marijuana since the Compassionate Use Act of 2014, expanded effective in 2017. The law allows those with certain medical conditions to secure a doctor’s recommendation for a prescription and purchase certain cannabis extracts, so long as it’s not smoked. Although this is in conflict with the…
Does a Drug-Sniffing Dog Outside Your Door Violate 4th Amendment Search Rights? U.S. Supreme Court May Weigh In
Is a sniff a search? It seems that may be a constitutional question for the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices are considering whether to grant review in the case of Edstrom v. Minnesota. The case, as our Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys understand it, turns on the issue of whether trained…
Florida Criminal Defense Spotlight: “Motorcycle Profiling” Resolution Gains U.S. Senate Support
Citing a sizable increase in motorcycle registrations across the country in recent years, ridership increasingly including women and older Americans, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution condemning motorcycle profiling by law enforcement. Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorneys know many arrests in South Florida begin with traffic stops, and it’s…
Defense Attorneys: LGBTQ Partners Can be Arrested for Domestic Violence in Florida
When it comes to domestic violence arrests and prosecutions, the State of Florida does not discriminate or give a pass to those in same-sex relationships. F.S. 741.28 defines domestic violence as any assault, battery, sexual violence, stalking, kidnapping or false imprisonment involving a family or household member by another. The…