Questions tagged [criminal-procedure]
The criminal-procedure tag has no usage guidance.
71
questions
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1answer
44 views
Can you cross examie during preliminary hearing in Illinois?
In the state of Illinois, during a preliminary hearing on a criminal charge, can a judge refuse to let the defendant and his lawyer cross examine the state's sole witness?
1
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0answers
48 views
Can a defense attorney switch the defendants in court? [duplicate]
Can a defense attorney switch the defendant in court to prove that a witness can't recognize him? (Like Saul Goodman did.) What would be the consequences?
18
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5answers
4k views
“Innocent until proven guilty” doesn't apply to bail?
How does the law reconcile the "innocent until proven guilty" principle with the treatment of those awaiting trial on criminal charges?
At least in the U.S., it seems like there is a meta-...
4
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1answer
158 views
Staying anonymous as a witness in Germany
Alice witnessed an altercation in a public park in which a knife was pulled, but nobody was hurt. The police were called, the offender fled the scene but stayed in the vicinity.
Since Alice saw ...
14
votes
2answers
4k views
What legal recourse do citizens have when law enforcement refuse to address crimes for political reasons?
This is a bit of follow-up to this situation, although the question is different and things got much worse.
According to a recent poll, 40% of San Francisco residents are considering moving out of the ...
0
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1answer
37 views
What crimes can lead to a house arrest in Austria?
I am writing a piece of fiction in which the protagonist is put under house arrest after a bar brawl. This happens in modern-day Austria. House arrest means he is not allowed to leave the city without ...
1
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0answers
39 views
For the purposes of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, is being ordered to and appearing before a court “detention” under any charges?
As a criminally charged person before the court, are you detained or are you free to go while before the court per the order of the court to be present in a criminal hearing?
International Law
1963 ...
18
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3answers
4k views
What would happen if there is an attempt by police to deceive a judge to get a warrant?
Would I be correct in saying that police have a duty to fairly represent the facts to a judge when they attempt to get a warrant to search premises? Is there some sort of oversight in regard to how ...
4
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2answers
110 views
Can a citizen of the European Union receive legal aid or legal representation in a 3rd country from the EU?
The UK, for one, has a program which is probably a sort of remnant of its past EU membership where the government provides legal aid in European countries, (incl. EU, EEA and other countries) ...
3
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1answer
157 views
Are You Entitled To Release From Prison If All Of Your Accusers Recant Their Testimony?
There's no physical evidence that a man convicted of a murder in Addison, Ill. is guilty. Instead, his conviction is mostly based on the testimony of three friends, all of whom later recant.
May a ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
If the state is involved in a civil matter, can it use its criminal evidentiary powers against the other party?
I will preface this question by say I am a total layperson when it comes to the law so forgive me if I mix up ideas here. This question is based on the recent news that the EU is suing AstraZeneca for ...
3
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1answer
125 views
Jury completes deliberations, but a juror dies before the verdict is read
Suppose a person is on trial for a serious crime and the case has been sent to the jury.
After some deliberation, the jury comes up with a guilty verdict. Before it is read in court, one of the ...
0
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1answer
57 views
In the US, what are the steps that lead to prosecution (or otherwise)?
In the US, what are the steps that lead to prosecution (or otherwise)?
By way of example
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif. ) traveled to Minnesota this weekend,
urging protesters to "stay in the ...
2
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1answer
59 views
Follow-up question about summary only offence
I am following on from a question that I posted here.
Person A: Reported suspect for one indictable offence.
Person B: Reported suspect for several summary only offences.
I understand based on the ...
1
vote
1answer
141 views
Can an attorney be arrested whilst representing their client in court?
In the videos linked to below, we see an extraordinary circumstance where a defence lawyer turns up late and apparently intoxicated after a possible hit-and-run vehicle collision.
Here's a summary.
...
3
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1answer
142 views
Can illegally obtained evidence be used in favor of the defendant in a criminal case?
Regarding US law, my general understanding is that if evidence was obtained in an illegitimate way (e.g. under false pretenses), then it may be inadmissible as evidence to support a conviction in a ...
1
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2answers
152 views
Law enforcement requesting passwords from companies?
Could UK law enforcement enforce s.49 of RIPA 2000 on a company outside the UK, say Snapchat, Facebook, or Google, in order to retrieve a user's hashed password from their database to log into that ...
3
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1answer
61 views
Trying a foreigner in the United States - praticalities
I am reading this press release of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Northern District of California.
The attorney states that:
Mason Sheppard, aka “Chaewon,” 19, of Bognor Regis, in the United
...
8
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1answer
1k views
“Does not put forward a case inconsistent with the confession” of guilt
In New Zealand, duties of defence lawyers require them to "not put forward a case inconsistent with the confession" if the defendant confesses his/her guilt to them (13.13.2(a)).
What ...
1
vote
1answer
150 views
Miranda warning - requirement to be “read”
Colloquial commentary, TV cop-shows and the like often make reference to the Miranda warning being read to a suspect although this is not mentioned within the linked Wikipedia article.
The dictionary ...
20
votes
9answers
4k views
What happens if a prosecutor refuses to file charges?
Inspired by the answer to a previous question I asked.
Let's say Alice assaults Bob, and Bob goes to the police. I gather from the answer to the linked question that what happens in principle is that ...
2
votes
2answers
215 views
Should I retain a criminal defense lawyer just in case?
Myself I am very law abiding citizen and never was approached by police in the 20+ years that I am in America. But in this never talk to police video they claim that innocent people went to prison ...
4
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0answers
127 views
Why does the prosecutor get both the first and the last word at trial?
In the U.S., rules of court have the prosecutor in a criminal trial giving the first opening statement, followed by the defense's opening statement; and then the final closing statement, after the ...
1
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1answer
139 views
Recourse for prosecution whose witness suddenly changes their story on the stand
Say prosecution has a witness who saw the defendant do the crime and is happy to testify it on the stand.
But when they take the stand, they suddenly surprise the prosecution by saying they did not ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
Jurisdiction Over A Crime Committed In An Airplane Flying Over U.S. States
If a woman assaults another passenger while on a plane flying over the continental United States, which courts have jurisdiction to prosecute a criminal case against her?
(This question comes up in ...
4
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5answers
3k views
Can I be subjected to physical punishment by the police in the US as long as it is outside criminal proceeding?
In Ingraham v. Wright, the US Federal Supreme Court ruled that it had "limited the application of the Eighth Amendment’s cruel and unusual language to criminal punishment".
Can I be ...
0
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2answers
95 views
Judge's change of sentence
In a criminal case, can a Judge change his sentence to give a lesser punishment for the crime committed on request of the lawyer of the client who had filed the case?
Example: The Judge has given a ...
-1
votes
1answer
80 views
Is there a way to file a criminal complaint to report fraud and copyright incidents in Germany anonymously?
Is there a way to file a criminal complaint to report fraud and copyright incidents in Germany anonymously?
What is the right way and what requirements are needed to present evidence via email or ...
3
votes
1answer
118 views
If the grand jury refuses to indict, can the prosecutor try again?
A prosecutor seeks an indictment for Charge X, but the grand jury returns a no-bill.
Is the prosecutor free to seek another indictment on Charge X from the same grand jury, or from a different one? ...
3
votes
1answer
60 views
Does failure to present a charge to a grand jury leave that charge open for future indictment?
In the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor the Kentucky Attorney General presented a case to a Grand Jury, but the only indictment was for wanton endangerment. Recently this Washington Post story and ...
3
votes
1answer
317 views
Powers of Entry when it is summary-only offence
I was watching this YouTube video by Crimebodge. At 10:10 he explains that the police only have powers of entry to arrest somebody for indictable offences (like rape), and not for summary offences (...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
Are defense attorneys allowed to display the law to the jury?
This may sound kind of crazy, but I think in many cases things go against defendants because the jury simply does not know what the law is. A judge's instruction is not the same as a juror actually ...
0
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2answers
94 views
Can a Ukranian court change a hearing date without the accused being present?
Sequence of events:
November 2019: Person A and Person B are caught shoplifting at a major grocery chain in Lviv
December 2019 - February 2020: Deposition/Discovery happens. First hearing. They plead ...
29
votes
5answers
9k views
Can a judge suggest to the jury that a witness is lying?
I was recently party to a preliminary hearing in a criminal case in which a 911 call was played. The content of the 911 call was very beneficial to the defendant. During the hearing, the judge said ...
4
votes
2answers
156 views
If a judge evidences a misunderstanding of the law is that grounds for an appeal?
In criminal matters, if a judge makes statements during oral arguments that clearly show that the judge has a misunderstanding of the case law pertaining to the matter at hand, can the judge's ...
0
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2answers
250 views
Which amendment does this violate?
Bob requests a lawyer to be present while the police interview him after being arrested. The police just laugh.
11
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3answers
3k views
I was racially abused at a public park. What legal actions can I take?
I was racially abused at a public park. Basically out of no where he called me a terrorist. I ignored him. After a while he came directly to me and ask me to go away and said this is Australia.
The ...
0
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0answers
37 views
Is coordination of testimony by witnesses against court rules?
Is it against the rules of criminal procedure for witnesses to consult with each other for the purpose of coordinating their testimony in court?
I ask because when I read police reports written by ...
0
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2answers
77 views
23&me used in criminal investigations?
...Ok not literally.
But 23 & me analyses your DNA and can tell you roughly where your genetics are from and in particular, could point towards a particular race of person.
We know that DNA ...
2
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1answer
67 views
What sort of framework am I looking for seeking a quick execution?
As advised on a previous question, I've decided to ask a more localised question for this question. For those unaware, I am trying to write a book where the character gets executed in the USA, 2019, ...
5
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1answer
275 views
Can a prisoner choose not to be autopsied after execution or is it a legal requirement?
I'm a writer so I've been trying to do some research for one of my MCs who ends up getting executed but has the ability to come back from the dead, preferably with a body intact so an Autopsy isn't ...
1
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0answers
512 views
What's the shortest amount of time can someone wait on death row before execution?
I am a writer where in my spy-novel, a character faces execution in the US, most likely by Lethal Injection, however, there are people in the government that want to speed the date of execution up ...
1
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1answer
91 views
How can these two people be proven innocent until proven guilty? [closed]
I lost some money and USB cable in my bag.
On this particular day I asked for a usb cable from a female workmate who was still on her assignment and I was as well on an asignment in a different ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
What happens if one of the two accused flees the country?
Context: I'm watching a series on Netflix called Brooklyn Nine-nine, a comedy series. No spoilers please. I'm fond of law stuff and I don't know much about laws in the US, I live somewhere in Asia, by ...
0
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1answer
21 views
Indictment and prosecution in different U.S. districts
Can a person be prosecuted in any district other than the district in which the original indictment was filed? Does this require some sort of special procedure?
3
votes
1answer
87 views
What decisions can a Judge make after the Prosecution withdraws a case?
Background
In the news, the prosecutors for Michael Flynn recently withdrew their case for the reasons stated in this court brief.
However, Flynn has already pleaded guilty as mentioned several ...
2
votes
2answers
177 views
Can a lawyer change his client's plea?
In the 1987 movie, The Untouchables, there is a courtroom scene in which Al Capone's lawyer spontaneously announces that his client wants to change his plea to guilty and Capone displays his ...
2
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2answers
164 views
Can the state change its mind about dropping charges?
If a person is indicted on criminal charges, but before trial the state decides to "drop the charges," can the state later bring the same charges?
I'm actually not even certain what formal actions ...
0
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1answer
57 views
Can a person communicate confidentially with a criminal court about a sentence?
I have heard it is at least theoretically possible for a Judge in criminal court in Georgia to reconsider a sentence. If a Judge is contacted by an interested person to request such a reconsideration,...
6
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2answers
403 views
Can defendants switcheroo whenever they want?
Here is a 1994 article describing an Illinois criminal trial where defense counsel pulled the old switcheroo and sat a different person with him at the defense table instead of the defendant. The ...
