Monthly Archives/Archivos por Mes: February 2016

TTP: “What did you think of Jorge 40 being kicked out of the Peace and Justice Commission for not cooperating?”

David Zapp – “I think it was the best example of chutzpah.”

TTP: “What’s chutzpah?”

David Zapp – “It’s the Hebrew word for “nerve” like when a man is accused of murdering his parents and then falls on […]

In sentencing the high-ranking commander of the AUC, Judge Walton rejected the government’s argument that Jorge 40 should be sentenced as a large-scale narcotics trafficker. The judge’s reasoning was that the evidence showed that Jorge 40 was a soldier imposing a “war tax” on legal and illegal businesses in his territory to fund a war […]

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines do not determine the sentence. A law, 18 United States Code 3553(a), lists the factors that determine the sentence. One of those factors is the sentencing guideline applicable to the offense that the judge is free to ignore, reject entirely, or, modify.” Often the parties agree on the guideline and they […]

The Obligations of a Defense Lawyer to Give You “Effective Assistance”

This article came up as a response to a reader’s suggestion that an office should be established to oversee the performance of lawyers. That’s not necessary because defendants who speak up can tell a judge all he needs to know. But you must speak up! […]