| CONFESSIONS MUST BE VOLUNTARY |
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| The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution provides that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Due process of law requires that a person has notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a right to make an informed choice. An informed choice can only be made with regard to a confession if the confession is voluntary.More... |
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| PROSECUTION OF MILITARY PERSONNEL BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
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| Members of the United States military are subject to a court martial when they commit offenses that are prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Offenses under the UCMJ may be offenses that are either federal crimes, such as drug offenses and theft of government property, or they may be offenses that become federal offenses because they are committed on a United States military installation.
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| Plea Agreements Generally |
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| When a defendant has been charged with a crime, it is his decision whether to enter a guilty or not guilty plea to the offense. Often times, a defendant enters a guilty plea based upon a plea agreement. Many prosecutors offer defendants plea agreements or bargains in order to ascertain a guilty plea from the defendant. More... |
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| Motion for an Acquittal |
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| After a defendant is convicted, he may file a motion for an acquittal. An acquittal is a formal certification of innocence or a finding of not guilty. Typically, the basis for filing a motion for an acquittal is that the evidence does not support the verdict. More... |
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| Counterfeiting Trademark Violations |
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| Counterfeiting trademarked goods is a growing problem in the United States. Counterfeiting of trademarked goods constitutes a felony offense. The offense involves the secret manufacture and distribution of imitation items. The counterfeited items consist of imitations of well-known products such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and Coach. Both the Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984 and the Anticounterfeiting Consumer Protection Act of 1996 address the issues of counterfeiting of trademarked goods. More... |
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