I read with interest a recent opinion piece in the New York Times called, “Yes, Jury Selection Is As Racist As You Think. Now We Have Proof,” by Professor Ronald Wright of Wake Forest University Law School. The premise of the article is that African-Americans are removed from criminal jury panels at a greater rate than whites because they are more often the subject of “strikes,” also known as “peremptory challenges. These allow prosecutors and defense lawyers to “strike” potential jurors from being on the final jury for any reason except for race, gender, and other Constitutionally-protected … [Read more...]
Dallas County Jury Finds John Helms’ Client Not Guilty of Indecency With A Child
Married father of three found not guilty of indecency with a child after a trial in Dallas. He was represented by Dallas criminal defense lawyer John Helms. A Dallas County jury found a married father of three young children not guilty of indecency with a child. The defendant, represented by Dallas criminal defense lawyer John Helms, was accused of touching the genitals of an underage relative when she was 11 and 12 years old. Mr. Helms' client could have been sentenced to prison for two to twenty years if he was found guilty. The jury took less than two hours to decide the case on June … [Read more...]
Dallas Criminal Lawyer On What Evidence The Defense Gets To See Before Trial
In criminal cases, in state or federal court, the government has to turn over evidence before trial. Usually, it consists of police reports and the documents and physical evidence (like photographs, videotapes, objects, phone records, and test results) that the government plans to introduce as evidence in court at trial. In federal court, you usually get an investigating agent’s memos of interviews with witnesses during the investigation, says Dallas criminal lawyer John Helms. Criminal defense lawyers show these materials to the client, and the lawyer and defendant go over them. The … [Read more...]
