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"Fewer Than 3% of all Registered Attorneys in
Minnesota are Certified Specialists in their Field."
Whenever a police officer asks to search your home or vehicle, you have two options: voluntarily consent to a search or refuse to comply unless the police have a search warrant. Telling the cops to “come back with a warrant” is not only your right but usually – if not always – a smart idea.
What is a search warrant and how do they work in Minnesota? Most people understand that a search warrant is a court-authorized document
Effective August 1, 2015, it is an aggravating factor to operate a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.16 or higher in Minnesota. Prior to August 1, 2015, the limit was 0.20 to be considered an aggravating factor warranting harsher punishment.
Under Minnesota’s Driving While Impaired law, it is illegal to drive, operate, or be in physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. If a driver’s alcohol concentration at the time
In Minnesota, there are primarily four ways suspects enter the criminal justice system once accused of committing a criminal offense.
Citation: A police officer does not arrest a suspect but instead gives a citation or “ticket” explaining what the suspect is charged with and usually a date to appear in court.
Summons and Complaint: A complaint is a written document charging a defendant with criminal offense. Complaints are often mailed to defendants in cases involving
What is a grand jury and how do they work in Minnesota? Grand juries are a group of randomly selected people from the community who are summoned to court, sworn in, instructed by a judge, and advised by either the County Attorney or an Assistant County Attorney (Minnesota county prosecutors who are sometimes called “District Attorneys” in other states). The purpose of a grand jury is to hear evidence concerning serious felonies (usually homicides) and to decide whether there
Assault is a broad and common charge in Minnesota. There are several types of assault including Fifth Degree Assault, Fourth Degree Assault, Third Degree Assault, Second Degree Assault, First Degree Assault, Domestic Assault, and Aggravated Assault.
So what’s the difference?
Regardless of what assault level a person is charged with, the consequences can be life changing. Understanding the difference between assault crimes is critical. Reading about Minnesota’s different assault laws can be difficult and frustrating, especially when there are
On April 21, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police cannot extend a person’s detention, during a normal traffic stop, while they look for evidence of crimes unrelated to the offense that prompted the initial stop.
In Rodriguez v. United States, a driver was pulled over by police for driving on the highway shoulder. Police then made the driver wait 10 minutes for backup officers to arrive with a drug-sniffing dog to search for drugs. Once the
On March 11, 2015, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided there is no expectation of privacy for trash or garbage placed on the curb or in an alley for collection. The police can lawfully search your trash or garbage without a warrant.
The case is State of Minnesota vs. David Ford McMurray. Police received a tip that David McMurray had drugs in his home. When McMurray left his garbage on his curb for pickup, police had the garbage collector
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