Blog Posts

Jury selection is scheduled to begin next week in the case of Derek Chauvin, the police officer accused of murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis late last spring. The death of Mr. Floyd sparked protests, and riots across the country on the theory that his death was demonstrative proof of...

I am not sure why anyone with a choice in the matter would choose to serve as a police officer in the City of Hartford. It’s not that the city faces major financial and social difficulties – some folks call it Little Chicago for a reason, its streets run with the blood of...

Suppose you were suddenly accused of sexual assault. Your accuser claims that one night, a dozen or more years ago, you crossed a line. You’re arrested, and now publicly accused of rape. In an instant, your reputation is destroyed.
Assume for the moment you...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court appeared to ask a lot of the right questions in arguments this week on Bill Cosby’s appeal of his criminal conviction for sexual assault. What worries me are the answers the court is likely to give.
It took two trials for the...

Does the State of Connecticut have a coherent statewide plan for the resumption of jury trials? If so, it is one of the best-kept secrets in the state. I talk each week to prosecutors in the various courthouses. One would think they would know what’s going on. They don’t.
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I recall the Watergate hearings in 1973. It was hard to ignore them. They were chaired by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina. From time to time, he reached into his jacket pocket to take out a well-worn copy of the United States Constitution. He was a strict constructionist. He thought...

I’ve a confession to make: I’ve not stepped into a courtroom since sometime in early March of this year, and I haven’t missed it one bit.
This is a confession because I am a trial- and appellate-lawyer. I make my living, or at least I used to make my...

We’re now four months into the pandemic, and, as near as I can tell, much about the world has changed. I say this tentatively because throughout this period, I’ve remained mostly at home, working remotely, and appearing in my office on rare occasions when I am sure not to run into...

"If this country doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it. All right? And I could be speaking ... figuratively. I could be speaking literally. It's a matter of interpretation.”
That’s Hawk Newsome talking on Fox News the...

It will take work to assure that Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane receive fair trials. The four Minneapolis police officers are accused of crimes in the death of George Floyd. It will be a rare juror who has not formed an opinion of some sort before the...