The recent Court of Appeals decision in Thomas v. United States on October 24, 2013, reiterates the doctrine of collateral estoppel. The issue in the case was whether a retrial on certain counts was barred due to collateral estoppel. Thomas was charged initially with five counts. The first trial resulted in the jury acquitting Thomas of ADW (assault with deadly weapon) and PFCV (possession of firearm during crime of violence), but hung on CPWL (carrying a pistol without a license) and UA (unlawful possession of ammunition). The trial court declared a mistrial on those counts as well as the fifth
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Archives for criminal law dc
RECENT COURT OF APPEALS NEGLECT REVERSAL
In yet another recent case, it appears that the Court of Appeals has gradually shifted the standard of review in favor of the biological parent and the parental rights and preferences. In the previously blogged and reviewed cases, the competing adoptions with a parental preference and a fit father’s custody filing — were both considered and analyzed – and in each of these recent cases, the Court had sided with the parental preference arguably raising the bar to overcome parental preferences and here to find neglect against a parent. In IN RE K.M., decided on September 12, 2013, the Court
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RECENT DC COURT OF APPEALS CASE DEFINING “WEIGHTY CONSIDERATION”
The recent Court of Appeals case on a competing adoption petition litigation issued on August 22, 2013 (citation below) defined with more specificity the meaning of “weighty consideration” given to parents’ choice of a fit custodian. Here the parents whom have been adjudicated as having neglected their children consented to E.A., the great aunt’s adoption petition competing against W.s the foster parents. The attachment study that was conducted did not factor or involved the children’s attachment to E.A. In short, it was one sided attachment evaluation. The study clearly established though a secure attachment to W.s – the foster parents.
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DC COURT OF APPEALS REVERSES FINDING OF NEGLECT
The Court of Appeals on July 25, 2013 in IN RE ANG.P. & AND.P.; (Nos. 11-FS-1584 & 11-FS-1585), reversed the lower court finding of neglect against a biological mother who was charged with neglecting her children by leaving them without proper parenting, care and control. The legal standard specifically provides: a child is neglected if he or she “is without proper parental care or control, subsistence, education as required by law, or other care necessary for his or her physical, mental or emotional health, and the deprivation is not due to the lack of financial means of his or her
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RECENT SUPREME COURT DECISION LEGALIZING DNA SWAP UPON ARREST
The US Supreme Court on June 3, 2013 in Maryland v. King (No. 12–207) and in a 5-4 narrow decision legalized taking the arrestee’s DNA sample along with the fingerprinting and mug shots. The case was initiated in the MD State court from the collection of DNA in 2009 from Alonzo Jay King Jr. after his arrest on assault charges in Wicomico County, Md. King’s DNA sample collected by swabbing of his cheek, positive matched evidence from a 2003 rape case, and he was convicted of that crime which was unresolved. The MD Court of Appeals ruled that the State
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DC COURT OF APPEALS REVERSES CONVICTION DUE TO UNCORROBORATED CONFESSION:
The Court of Appeals recently in IN RE KA (No. 10-FS-1614, Feb. 2013) reversed K.A.’s weapons possession charges focusing on the governing legal principles of convictions based on confessions alone and the necessary corroboration in support thereof. The Court reiterated the long established Supreme Court legal principle, which requires confession to be corroborated in order to “forestall convictions based on extrajudicial confessions the reliability of which is a matter of suspicion.” Essentially in cases were conviction is based solely on a confession, self made statement, the government is required to introduce substantial independent evidence which would tend to establish the
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THE DC COMPREHENSIVE IMPAIRED DRIVING ACT: DC DWI/DUI LAWYER
This blog highlights some of the drastic changes to the drinking and driving law in the District. The DC Comprehensive Impaired Driving Act of 2012 increased significantly (doubled) the penalties for drinking and driving and also increased the mandatory minimum sentences as such. Accordingly the first offense conviction on DUI/DWI now carries the same penalties as most criminal misdemeanors, a maximum of: 180 days/$1000 fines. The minimum statutory imposed incarceration even for the first time offenders was also doubles based on the blood alcohol level/content commonly referred to as BAC. That is a BAC of 0.08 or more is considered
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THIRD PARTY CUSTODY: LEGAL STANDARD – RECENT DC COURT OF APPEALS CASE
There is rebuttable presumption that custody with a parent is in the best interests of the child unless proven otherwise by clear and convincing evidence. In another word, there is a parental presumption of fitness that can only be overcome by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. This is also a constitutionally rooted and protected principle. In the District, a third party may file for custody of a minor child – however, the legal standard used – similar to adoption and termination of parental rights – is as stated: by clear and convincing evidence. Thus with the third party
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PETITIONER’S FTINESS FINDING IN THE ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS: RELEVANT CASES AND THE STATUTORY PROVISIONS
This blog addresses legal principles applicable to the court’s fitness finding in the adoption cases when the health or fitness of the adoptive petitioner is at issue. There are statutory provisions that address both fitness as well as health of the petitioners, among other parties, and relevant case law, which extend possible waiver of the doctor-patient privilege when in the best interest of the child or justice to the petitioners as well as the natural parents. There is the Termination of parental rights: D.C. Code §16-2353 (b)(2), the court is charged with in considering what is in the best interest
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CHILD’S TESTIMONY, THE LEGAL PRINCIPLE:
Often times in the neglect and abuse, termination of parental rights, and adoption litigation — the child’s testimony can tip the scale one way or another. Under the adoption statute, the child’s position, if the child is fourteen or older, shall be considered by the court. Under the TPR statute, §16-2353(b)(2)&(4); mental and emotional needs of the child as well as the child’s opinion as to his/her best interest are both codified. In child custody cases, the child’s opinion as to his/her physical custodian is one of the statutory elements, §16-914(3)(B). Regardless, in family cases, the litigants face resistance from
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