Twin Cities Criminal Law Blog

Maybe it was the thought of helping people find their dream homes – of seeing the expressions on their faces when they stepped into a house and knew in an instant that they were home – that made you want the job. Maybe you wanted the challenge of locating just the right home from a client’s wish list and staying within the client’s budget. No matter the reason, your dream of earning your real estate license came true.

If you went through the time and trouble to study, train and test for your real estate license, chances are it is because you imagined yourself loving the job and building a winning reputation in Minnesota as a top-notch agent. You certainly never imagined being accused of a violation that would jeopardize your license.

Nursing is a challenging, exhausting and often thankless job. Nevertheless, you chose this profession because of the intangible rewards. While many days include long hours on your feet, ungrateful patients and demanding doctors, you probably go home satisfied that you are making a difference in a noble profession.

Because you work closely with people, and their physical care is often in your hands, you are also under close scrutiny. You may not even be aware of how easily you may lose your professional license for an honest mistake or misunderstanding.

If you have been arrested and charged with a sex crime in Minnesota, it is understandable that you will have questions about the criminal justice process, or when you will be free from the allegations against you. You may also be concerned with when you may be released from custody, (if you are in jail). Before the process can begin, the accused has to be arraigned. This post will briefly describe what it entails.

The notion of having your child day care license being revoked or rescinded may sound extreme; especially if you have not had any complaints or investigations against you before. However, such a result is not far-fetched given the sensitive nature of child protection complaints and the high level of trust that necessary for parents to leave their children at a day care center. In fact, what should seem like the last resort may be the only resort when it comes to protecting children in day care.

Because of this, knowing how to defend yourself against an investigation is critical. This post will provide a few helpful tips in the event you are subject to a DHS inquiry.

Being accused of child abuse or child maltreatment can send you into depths that you never believed you could sink to. This is likely because the stigma our society places on people accused of such crimes is probably worse than those accused on sex crimes.

However, the notion that the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty is a bedrock standard of our legal system. Because of this, there are a number of defenses that may be raised in order to defend one’s self against abuse allegations. This post will highlight a few.

With as many public service announcements bemoaning drunk driving have aired during the holiday season, drinking and driving is still a problem in Minnesota and throughout the United States. However, a change in the law regarding the use of ignition interlock devices may be helping drivers think twice before getting behind the wheel.

According to a recent washingtonpost.com report, ignition interlock laws appear to be working. The article highlighted a study finding that traffic fatalities dropped by seven percent in states that require convicted drunk drivers to install ignition interlock devices. The study tracked fatalities during a five year period before states started requiring interlock devices.

With both Christmas and New Year’s occurring on weekends this year, the 2016 holiday driving season is going to be a huge travel event. Yes, the weather in Minnesota may slow things down, but low gas prices are going to keep people on the road.

According to the American Automobile Association, millions of Americans will be taking to the roads to get to loved ones to celebrate the holidays with family and loved ones.

It’s two weeks before Christmas, and our readers likely know that the public service announcements bemoaning drunk driving prevention are arguably just as plentiful as retailers’ ads. Of course, additional patrols will be in force during week between Christmas and New Year’s. And yes, we support the efforts of law enforcement agencies because prevention is essential in reducing drunk driving accidents (thereby saving lives).

However, we believe that DWI courts have not received the recognition deserved for their roles in changing the culture of DWI enforcement across Minnesota.

A Minnesota judge just wrapped up the trials of nine recruits to a terror network who attempted to join ISIS. The Judge handed down sentences that ranged from time served and probation in a halfway house to 35 years in prison.

What made the difference for each defendant’s sentence? All of them were accused of similar crimes under the U.S. Patriot Act. All were similar in age, and all were stopped before they could carry out their plans to join ISIS. Why, then, did the judge show more compassion to some defendants than others?

Over the past three years, there has been a nationwide increase in the number of children being placed in foster care, according to federal records. Today’s numbers have several moving parts, as the federal data suggests that more kids are staying in foster care for longer periods of time. Other children may be in foster care for a short period, but reentering at a later date.

The data says that total number of children in foster care has risen for three consecutive years. However, the acting secretary of the Administration on Children and Families, Mark Greenberg, says that fewer kids today are in foster care than the numbers recorded a decade ago, according to The Chronicle of Social Change.