A drug conviction may mean serious trouble for anyone who receives one. Yet, if you are living in or around Washington, D.C., as a legal permanent resident or another type of noncitizen, the stakes may prove even higher. Any type of drug conviction, regardless of its...
Month: January 2021
What is trace evidence?
As science continues to progress and evolve, the criminology fields also change. In recent years, evidence related to DNA science has grown ever more important. You likely understand a thing or two about how DNA factors into court cases. But what do you know about...
Perspectives on Justice
Judge Alexander Williams Jr., interviewed Steve Mercer recently on the podcast Perspectives on Justice about parole, pardons, and commutations. Here is an excerpt in which Steve discusses an issue that is profoundly troubling: The irrational failure of the criminal...
Court tosses conviction of one defendant in murder of teens
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland appeals court has overturned the convictions of one of four men who were found guilty in the killings of two Maryland high school students on the eve of their graduation. The Court of Special Appeals ruled Thursday that a trial judge erred...
Court tosses conviction of one defendant in murder of Montgomery Co. teens
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland appeals court has overturned the convictions of one of four men found guilty in the killings of two Maryland high school students on the eve of their graduation. The court ruled Thursday that a judge erred in preventing attorneys for...
Raquinmercer Wins Reversal On Appeal In First Degree Murder Case
On January 14, 2021, in the Court of Special Appeals, Isabelle Raquin and Steve Mercer secured a major win in a complex criminal case involving forensic science. RaquinMercer won the reversal of the 2017 murder conviction in Galicia v. State of Maryland, No. 3350...
What counts as medical bribery?
As a leading medical professional, you probably serve many roles. You could be a physician, a researcher, an executive and a thought leader — and those would only be your professional duties. You try to behave ethically, but no one could expect you to be a healthcare...