The Policies of Justice and Injustice
The Supremes Aren’t Just Classic Motown: Our Top 5 Cases
Do you have a favorite Supreme Court decision? Join Serge and Clarke and attorney Shawn Vinson in a lively discussion about each person’s top five favorite decisions of the United States Supreme Court. We might surprise you!
Read MoreSouth Baltimore Brooklyn Day Block Party Nets Thirty Casualties
On July 2, 2023, two to 12 gunslingers shot 30 people, including 14 children, at a single holiday block party in Baltimore. No police officers were assigned to the event where 700 to 1000 people had gathered. But at the same time, many extra police officers were assigned to traditionally white areas of Baltimore festivity.…
Read MoreDebra Saltz on an Idea Whose Time May Have Arrived!
Debra Saltz is one of Maryland’s best attorneys. She clerked for the late, great Joseph Murphy, she worked as a public defender in Baltimore County, and she served as a prosecutor in Howard County for four years. Debra has also been in private practice for many years, especially concentrating in criminal defense. Debra is a…
Read MoreDescending Into Lawlessness and the Defense of Necessity
In Queens, New York, a man shoots and kills a robber. The shooter’s conduct is determined to be self-defense, but he is charged with firearms violations. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a bus driver shoots back at a passenger shooting at him! The bus driver is not charged with a crime, but is fired by the…
Read MoreThe Unintended Consequence of Maryland’s New Gun Laws
In 2022, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the “proper cause” gun permit requirements of New York prevent law-abiding citizens from free exercise of their second amendment rights to keep and bear arms in public for ordinary self-defense. This decision effectively negated Maryland law. In its very next session, the Maryland General Assembly passed…
Read MoreDeath on the F Train; A New York Story
Daniel Penny is charged with manslaughter, second degree, after holding Jordan Neely in a choke hold on the NY City Subway F Train. In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss this sad, but compelling, case.
Read MoreStand Your Ground Doesn’t Legalize Illegal Deadly Force
In rural New York, a 65-year old man fired two shots from his porch killing a young woman in a car who was lost and turned around in his driveway. In Missouri, an 84-year old man fired two shots from his front door injuring a teenager who rang his bell, mistakenly at the wrong address…
Read MoreSeven Calif Highway Patrolmen Charged in Death of Edward Bronstein
Two months before the death of George Floyd, seven California Highway Patrolmen—including a Sergeant and one nurse—held a handcuffed behind his back, Edward Bronstein, face down to take blood in a DUI case pursuant to a search warrant. Bronstein screamed that he couldn’t breathe. The incident was videotaped. Bronstein died during the incident allegedly due…
Read MoreQualifications to be the Police Chief
Serge and Clarke “reimagine” the qualifications to be a police chief in 2023. We tell you what cops say they want; want the IACP says it wants; and what the DOJ says it wants in a police chief. But, Serge lists his list of qualifications and Clarke lists his. We guarantee you that some of…
Read MoreMassachusetts Inmates May be Permitted to Lower Sentences by Organ Donations
Serge and Clarke discuss a controversial January 2023 proposal in the Massachusetts legislature to let Massachusetts inmates reduce their prison sentences by donating bone marrow or organs, such as a kidney. Their are pros and cons of course and these ideas are the subject of today’s podcast.
Read MoreFatal Police Encounters – 2022
In the first episode of 2023, Serge and Clarke discuss an alarming statistic: 2022 had more people killed by law enforcement than at any time since police deadly force has been tracked. Also, there was an increase in the number of police officers who were shot in the line of duty.
Read MoreAttorney Sam Nalli on Defending a Juvenile Charged with First-Degree Murder
The legal profession is filled with high-extroversion, low-content self-promoters, more interested in lining their pockets than achieving justice for their clients. And then, there is Sam Nalli. Sam tells the listeners about his background and interest in the law, and takes us behind the scenes in the defense of a 17-year-old child charged as an…
Read MoreJudge Hammerman Imposes a 70 Year Trial Penalty — The Gary Baynor Case
In the last episode, Serge and Clarke discussed the idea of a trial penalty. A trial penalty occurs when an accused citizen rejects a plea offer, goes to trial, and is convicted but receives a sentence grossly disproportionate to the plea offer. In this episode, Serge and Clarke interview Gary Baynor about an incredible story…
Read MoreThe Diminishing Trial by Jury
In this episode, Serge and Clarke explore the phenomenon of the diminishing trial by jury. After explaining the statistics — which are shocking — Serge and Clarke seek to answer the questions of why the trial by jury is disappearing and the consequences of this significant change to the criminal justice process in America.
Read MoreBrittney Griner’s Arrest and Sentence
Serge and Clarke discuss the tragic circumstances surrounding the arrest, guilty plea, and sentencing in the Brittney Griner case. Brittney, a WNBA all-star, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February of 2022 for .7 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage. She was convicted and sentenced to 9 years of hard labor in a…
Read MoreDamned If You Don’t
The Supreme Court tells us that we have no constitutional right to expect the police to protect us, unless we are in their custody. Yet a Baltimore City Police Officer is sentenced to 60 days incarceration for not preventing an assault and a Yonkers Police Sergeant is under investigation for not stopping an assault. Serge…
Read MorePolice Leader Osborne “Moe” Robinson on Police Leadership & Firearms Training
Two for the price of one in this episode. Serge and Clarke contacted Moe Robinson because he teaches firearms law and skills to applicants for Maryland’s carry permits. But he first shared his views on police leadership; they are so good we made the episode about both things: police leadership and firearms training for carrying…
Read MoreThoughts on Hiring a Lawyer
Several listeners have asked Clarke and Serge for their advice on hiring a lawyer. In this episode, Clarke and Serge discuss everything from solo to big firm, hourly to fixed rate, young lawyer to senior advocate, local attorney to outsider, as well as the personal bias of the co-hosts when it comes to hiring a…
Read MoreDr. Keith Hannan, Ph.D. on Maryland’s Juvenile Justice Flaws & His Solution
In Maryland, most of the rehabilitation of adjudicated delinquent offenders is the domain of correctional personnel. Dr. Keith Hannon, Ph.D., has had a 30-year career as a licensed psychologist with extensive experience in the Maryland juvenile justice system. Dr. Hannan challenges the efficacy of the Maryland system, compares it to the District of Columbia juvenile…
Read MoreAn analysis of NY State Pistol & Rifle Association, Inc. v. Bruen
On June 23, 2022, the United States Supreme Court in a case called NY State Pistol & Rifle Association v. Bruen decided that New York’s penal statute which required a particularized showing of “proper cause” in order to obtain a wear and carry pistol permit was unconstitutional. The second amendment guarantees to all citizens the…
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