In a series of decisions during the 1960s, the Supreme Court applied the Fourth Amendment and other Constitutional protections to the states. So, Tarrant County law enforcement agencies must respect the same rules as the FBI, ATF, DEA, and other federal law...
Month: May 2019
Fatal Crash in Westlake
A man is dead after he rammed his car under an eighteen-wheeler. Police say that 29-year-old Richard Rivas, of Grapevine, ran a red light at the intersection of State Highway 170 and U.S. Highway 377. As a result, he slid underneath the trailer of a large UPS truck....
Felicity Huffman Pleads Guilty in College Admission Scandal
The former Desperate Housewives star admitted in court that she bribed admissions officials to help her daughter attend college. According to court documents, Huffman paid $15,000 to a college entrance exam cheating service on behalf of her eldest daughter. Actor...
What on Earth is the Graves Amendment?
Politicians love attaching policy riders as "amendments" to must-pass spending bill and other such legislation. Typically, these addendums have very little effect on the public at large. But 49 U.S.C. 3106 is a major exception to this rule. In Texas, noncommercial...
Can You Walk a Straight Line?
Almost literally from beginning to end, the Walk and Turn test is designed to support DWI arrests, whether the test subjects are intoxicated or not. Much like the OLS, the WAT, which is also known as the HTW (heel to toe walk) or the "walking a straight line" test, is...
Explaining the One Leg Stand Test
In many ways, the OLS is the classic DWI field sobriety test. This divided attention test measures both mental acuity and physical dexterity. Usually, people who are intoxicated cannot walk and chew gum at the same time in this way. That's why alcohol is such as...
What is the HGN Test?
Most people have undergone a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test at one time or another. Doctors use it to look for signs of neurological problems. Usually, the test administrator instructs the subject to follow a moving point, such as a fingertip, just by moving their...
Breaking Down a Dog Bite Claim
Animal attack injuries are one of the most common homeowners' insurance claims in Texas. Furthermore, since medical and psychological knowledge has increased in this area, the average claim amount has skyrocketed 75 percent since 2003. When a large breed dog, like a...
Winning Compensation in a Distracted Driving Case
For the most past, smartphones and other wireless internet devices have improved our lives. Distracted driving is perhaps the most significant exception to this general rule. Every year, inattentive motorists seriously injure roughly 400,000 Americans. Cell phones are...
Early Discharge and Record Sealing: The Texas Post-Conviction Two Step
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice supervises about a quarter of a million probationers a year. That figure does not include the high number of absconders (people who completely ignore probation orders) or who are later incarcerated for some reason. Many of...
