Criminal Defense

In 2005, the United States Supreme Court decided 5-4 that it is unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment to execute those who committed crimes when they were under eighteen years old. Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005). Post-Roper, a criminal defendant charged with an otherwise...

Behind the seemingly innocent exteriors of plenty of hotels lie illegal drug possession and illegal drug transactions. Unless the hotel is knowingly receiving payola for such activity, the hotel can be expected to seek police intervention to stop the activity. Abdul Lateef Salahuddin learned that...

Recently in a criminal trial that I won, my client seemed concerned when the judge was overruling some of my objections, while he also sustained a number of my objections in between. It is always important for a criminal defense lawyer to prepare his or...

This article addresses my ultimately winning a client's prostitution solicitation case by appealing for a new trial in Virginia Circuit Court, convincing the judge to suppress his arrest, and ultimately convincing the prosecutor to dismiss the case

Here are details on my recent bench trial acquittal for my client charged with visiting a bawdy place and with disorderly conduct: First, I made a brief opening statement, where I tried not to introduce discovery that might not ever see the light of day...

On January 18, 2017, the Virginia Senate Transportation Committee declined taking action on the bill, for now on Virginia Senate Bill 860, which would have criminalized texting and driving and most other cellphone use when coupled with any violation of the traffic code and other...

A January 19, 2017, opinion from the federal Fourth Circuit provides important insight into the criminal liability of corporate executives, and the so-called "two-inference" jury instruction. United States v. Blankenship

Criminal defendants are presumed innocent, so juries generally cannot be commanded to presume guilt from a set of circumstances and shift to the defendant the obligation to rebut that presumption. On the other hand, Virginia law does not prohibit trial judges from instructing juries on...

President Obama has commuted Chelsea Manning's (Born Bradley Manning) prison sentence from thirty-five years to seven years. Yes, prosecutors from his administration pushed for Manning's original sentence, but at least President Obama has tempered that with this commutation. Of course this commutation has raised the...

Dylann Roof represented himself at his federal capital sentencing trial phase. He put forth no effort to prevent a death sentence, which helps explain how the jury quickly reached a death sentence verdict (within three hours of deliberation) at the sentencing phase The trial judge...