The dog days of summer are usually referred to as the hottest days of the summer, particularly from mid- July to almost the end of August. And Labor Day has come to mean the unofficial end of summer with vacations ending and students returning back to school. The dog days of the Trump Administration have been particularly hot. With summer closing to an end, I thought that now is a good time to evaluate the Trump Administration’s summer days. Trump’s Administration has been hounded with its failure of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, the ever- ongoing Trump-Russia investigation by Special Prosecutor Mueller, Trump’s comments on the Charlottesville Nazi/white supremacist rally, the Twitter roll out of elimination of transgenders in the military, pardon of Sheriff Arpaio and now the expected ending of "DACA", Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. For the past 8 years of the Obama Administration, the Republican Party vowed to repeal and … [Read more...] about Donald Trump’s Dog Days of Summer
prosecution
Cosby Prosecutor Gave False High Hopes to Victims
In the aftermath of the Bill Cosby mistrial, many have been left wondering why the jury could not convict Cosby. After all, Cosby is alleged to have committed 60 sexual assaults on women. Having prosecuted sexual assault cases, despite what some have said was an easy case, nothing is farther away from the truth. No sexual assault case is ever easy to win. Sexual assault cases are some of the most difficult cases to obtain a conviction. And they are also some of the most heart wrenching cases. Due to the psychological issues which surround the victims, numerous issues abound such as inconsistent testimony, long waiting periods in which to bring charges, difficulty remembering and often forgetting details and a host of other issues. My sixteen year old self understands why a sexual assault victim would wait years before coming forward to tell people or to report a crime; my prosecutorial self knows the delays in those cases often make for acquittals or hung juries. The … [Read more...] about Cosby Prosecutor Gave False High Hopes to Victims
Former Prosecutor’s Recap of Baltimore Officer Nero’s Trial
My former office, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Office, concluded the prosecution side of the case against Edward Nero, one of the six police officers charged in the case of Freddie Gray. At this point, the state’s case has some holes that weren’t plugged. Although the defense began its case, the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt remains with the prosecution. It’s a high burden and appears like an uphill Mt. Everest climb in Nero’s case. Judge Williams will decide if an “unfortunate accident” occurred as the defense alleges or whether a crime was committed. Officer Nero was one of the three police officers on bicycle patrol who allegedly arrested Freddie Gray on April 12, 2015. Nero is charged with committing three crimes: assault on Freddie Gray due to a lack of probable cause to arrest Gray, reckless endangerment due to lack of a seat belt to restrain Gray and misconduct in office allegedly for violating police protocol. At the center of … [Read more...] about Former Prosecutor’s Recap of Baltimore Officer Nero’s Trial