In State v. M. J. M, appellant appealed a judgment that committed her to Mental Health Division custody, arguing she had proven to the trial court by a preponderance of the evidence “she was willing and able to and would probably participate in voluntary treatment.” Once a court finds a person is mentally ill by… Read More
What happens if you fire all your lawyers, one by one by one?
When three of defendant’s four appointed attorneys withdrew following threats by defendant, trial court did not err by declining to appoint a fifth attorney. Would it have been better had the court had advise defendant of the risks of self-representation? Maybe. But the Court of Appeals found the trial judge’s warning that defendant’s misconduct toward… Read More
My cup of joy is full
The entire field of cuteness psychology was founded by a Nazi… Read More
The Other Death Penalty
A group of advocates in Rhode Island are suing the state prison over a century-old law that declares inmates serving life sentences legally dead.
Municipal Court Update
An interesting legal issue came up in Municipal Court. When city prosecutors accuse someone of committing a crime, they have to give them a document called a “criminal complaint.” It’s supposed to tell them what law they broke and how they broke it. Due to the high volume of cases churning through the system, however,… Read More