In a previous article, we mentioned that criminal defendants may have more than one choice available to them when it comes to legal representation in their Texas criminal law matter. Today, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between assigned counsel, public defenders, and private counsel. It is our hope that this article empowers you, the…

How do you think it would feel to be accused of a crime that you did not commit? You would likely be outraged at the accusation. You could feel hopeless like there’s nothing you can do to change the course of the things that are happening to you. You are likely to be concerned about…

Entrapment. You may have heard the word, but do you really know what it means? More importantly, did you know that if you are a criminal defendant and you can prove entrapment, you may be able to be acquitted of the crime you were charged with? The recent acquittal of a man  who was charged…

Texas lawmakers plan to address a number of criminal justice issues this year. One of the issues on their agenda is reforming the state’s bail system. Pretrial detention is intended to serve the purpose of ensuring that defendants who are at risk for harming others or failing to show up to court. Unfortunately, the current…

Hate crimes are criminal acts that arise from the perpetrator’s prejudice or hatred towards a particular group of people. Sometimes, hatred towards a specific race or religion is what causes a perpetrator to act. At other times, the motivating factor could be gender identity, sexual orientation, or even disability. In 2001, the Governor of Texas…

Competence is an issue that can come up in any Texas criminal case, including a DWI case. For court proceedings to be just, a defendant must be competent to stand trial. An individual who is competent to stand trial is both capable of understanding the proceedings that have been brought against them and capable of…

Three recent incidents serve as reminders that if you have been convicted of driving while intoxicated one or more times, the penalties increase with each subsequent conviction. Some drivers get one DWI charge and leave drinking and driving behind for good, whether they are convicted or not. Other drivers continue to get behind the wheel…

A student at Texas’s Santa Fe High School recently brought two of his father’s guns to school and used them to kill eight students and two teachers and to wound twelve other people. Since the shooter was seventeen years old at the time he opened fire on his schoolmates and teachers, under Texas law, his…