People are often charged with crimes where they did not know that they were violating the law. Sometimes, the fact that they did not know they were breaking the law provides a defense to the charge. This blog examines ignorance of the law as a defense and discusses a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision on the subject.

The Fourth Amendment and search warrant law are an increasingly complex area of the law. Of particular complexity are situations where a search warrant is not required. This blog will discuss a few types of exigent circumstances that can justify a warrantless search.

The question of when an officer can pull someone over is a seemingly simple question with a complex answer. In this blog is a discussion of reasonable and articulable suspicion, including an overview of a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision.

On March 28, 2017, the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the Minnesota Implied Consent Advisory and its Fourth Amendment and Due Process considerations. As some of our readers may know, Implied Consent has been the subject of a great deal of litigation in the last several ye...

The climate of immigration law has become an increasingly turbulent one in the last few months. Persons who had previously felt secure in their ability to stay in this wonderful country of ours now have to consider the immigration consequences of their actions much more seriously. So, too, does any cr...

The cellular phone and smart phone have almost become more necessary to the daily lives of many Americans than their car. We bank with them, send work emails on them, talk with family members and friends across the country on them, store pictures of our most cherished moments on them, and some Am...

Can someone get a DWI if they are not driving? What if the keys are not in the ignition or the vehicle is inoperable? This blog discusses these questions in the context of Minnesota law, including a recent unpublished Court of Appeals decision.

As cell phones have become a bigger part of every day life, so too has their use in criminal investigations. This blog discusses when police can make you unlock your phone so that they can search its contents.

A conviction for a sex offense can carry a variety of collateral consequences aside from the usual jail time, probation time, fines, or combination thereof. This blog looks at the impact a conviction for a sex offense can have on an offender's ability to travel to other countries.

When someone is arrested for DUI or DWI, the law requires that they be given a reasonable amount of time to contact an attorney before deciding whether or not they will submit to a chemical breath test. This blog examines what a reasonable amount of time is and discusses a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision on the issue.

Many people have heard of an Alford plea, but not many people truly understand what it means to make an Alford plea. This blog will explain what an Alford plea is and how an Alford plea is entered in court.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has recently agreed to hear a case involving the use of drug detection dogs inside secure apartment buildings. The Supreme Court's ruling is likely to impact how police use their drug detection dogs as well as the privacy rights enjoyed by ordinary citizens.

A common misconception is that officers must read someone their rights when placing them under arrest. However, what is portrayed on tv is not consistent with what is required by law. This blog examines when officers are required to read a suspect their rights, also known as providing a Miranda warning.

One of the forgotten penalties of a DWI conviction in Minnesota, is losing your license for a specified amount of time to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. After receiving a DWI in the state of Minnesota, you are subject to losing your driver's license for at least 90 days. Work permits ...

More than 5,000 underage students die each year from alcohol-related incidents, with nearly 40 percent being a direct result following a drinking and driving crash, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Those fortunate enough to survive an underage drinking and driv...

If you are convicted of a DWI/DUI, you could face serious criminal, civil and professional consequences as a result. Those consequences will be even more severe if you carry a commercial driver's license (CDL). The effects of a DWI/DUI on your commercial driver's licensecan be catastrophic. If y...

Under current Minnesota DWI law, police can seize and forfeit the vehicle you were driving when arrested for DUI/DWI. If certain legal factors are met, the police will provide you with a Notice of Vehicle Forfeiture and seize your car. The legal right, title, and interest in the vehicle immediate...

Minnesota DUI laws are segmented into first, second, third and fourth degrees. The lower the severity of the offense, the higher the degree of the charge. The degree of your DWI/DUI is based on what we call aggravating factors. Aggravating factors are prior DWI/DUI's in the past 10 years, having ...

What began as a routine traffic stop in 2010 worked its way up to the United States Supreme Court in 2013. Today, we'll take a deeper look at the case of Missouri vs. Tyler G. McNeely, warrantless blood testing and what it means in Minnesota. Missouri vs. McNeely On October 3, 2010, patrolman M...

After being convicted of a DWI or DUI in the state of Minnesota, the offender is subject to civil and criminal penalties that vary depending on the level and severity of the DWI or DUI arrest. The penalty level is based on the number of times an individual has been found guilty of alcohol-relate...

If you are pulled over for suspected DWI in the state of Minnesota, you may be asked to provide a breath test to the responding officer. This will allow the officer to measure your blood alcohol content (BAC). In the state of Minnesota, the legal limit is .08, and if your test result shows above ...

Money laundering is one of several crimes commonly referred to as white-collar crimes. These crimes can also be called economic crimes or corporate crimes. Bribery, conspiracy, embezzlement, extortion and counterfeiting are other examples of white collar crimes. White collar crimes are typically ...

Experienced defense attorneys know that no two DWI cases are the same. Each case is different and involves numerous circumstances. But while every DWI case is different in its nuances; the elements required for the state to obtain a DWI conviction remain the same. What are they and why do they ma...

Fifth degree drug crimes are the least severe of all the classes of drug crimes in the state of Minnesota. However, it is important to remember that even a fifth degree drug charge is still a felony level charge. Today we're going to look at what makes up a fifth degree drug crime and what it tak...

As we continue our blog series reviewing the various degrees of drug crimes in the state of Minnesota, today we're going to look at fourth degree drug crimes and what sellers and possessors must be suspected of in order to be charged with a fourth degree drug crime. Let's begin. Sales crimes In...