Show me your Papers! Do You Have to Show a Cop Your Identification?
A car mechanic in Alabama was working on a customer’s car in the parking lot of a church when he was illegally arrested by a police officer for failing to provide the officer with any identification. A portion of the video of the arrest can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSY_jhhMlIA. The…
Grand Jury v. Preliminary Hearing: What’s the Difference?
Recently, you may have heard the terms “grand jury” and “preliminary hearing,” in the news and crime television shows. What do they mean and what is the difference between the two? In Nevada, in order for the prosecution to take a defendant to trial they have to establish probable cause…
Risk of Juvenile False Confessions Lessened in Nevada
In our last blog, we discussed the promise of Assembly Bill 193, which at the time was being considered by the Nevada Legislature. The new law would prohibit a police officer from lying to a juvenile suspect during an interrogation in an attempt to get an incriminating statement from the…
Police Lies: Important Change to Juvenile Interrogations Coming Soon
We have previously discussed in this Blog how Nevada law allows the police to question (i.e., interrogate) a juvenile without a parent being present. Read here. The Nevada Legislature is very close to passing a law that would go a long way to lessening the coercive nature of police interrogations…
Can I Livestream my Own Police Traffic Stop?
In a previous blog, the issue of whether you have the right to record the police during a traffic stop was discussed. As stated in that blog, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which encompasses Nevada, ruled in 1995 that the right is protected by the First Amendment. The U.S….
Important New Changes to Nevada’s Traffic Laws
Beginning January 1, 2023, pursuant to Nevada Assembly Bill 116, some traffic violations will no longer be considered criminal misdemeanors, but rather a “civil infraction.” For example, no longer considered a crime are violations for broken taillight, speeding (as long it’s not for traveling above 30 mph), or riding in…
Dude, Where’s My Court?
We often get questions about what’s the difference between all the courts in Southern Nevada and what exact court is my case in? To try and clarify all the confusion, here is an overview of the most common courts in Southern Nevada, what type of cases the court handles, and…
Can Parking Enforcement “Chalk” My Car Tires?
We’ve probably all seen a parking enforcement officer placing a chalk mark on a parked car’s tire. The act of “tire chalking” involves marking a car’s tire using chalk to determine the time for which it remains parked in a parking spot. Naturally, many people feel that this is some…
What are My Rights as a Student?
A federal District Court judge in Ohio recently ruled that a school violated a student’s Fourth Amendment right to privacy when he was required to use a webcam to show his bedroom before taking an online test. The school’s requirement that student’s show the location they are taking the test…
What Are My Gun Rights in Nevada?
Last week the United States Supreme Court shot down (no pun intended!) a New York State law that required a person to get a government-issued license to carry a concealed gun in public by providing “proper cause” to carry the gun. New York courts had defined “proper cause” as an…