Law Office of George Leary

There was a huge ruling by the Supreme Court today concerning DUI arrests. The justices held that the police must try to obtain a warrant before ordering blood tests for suspects in DUI cases. It is going to be real interesting to see how this affects the way California law enforcement conduct their investigations. http://www.huffingtonpost.com//supreme-court-dui-blood_n_3

Amanda Knox's acquittal was recently overturned by the Italian courts. If found guilty upon retrial, it could kick off a firestorm battle over her possible extradition and how double jeopardy should be interpreted within the international context. http://abcnews.go.com//amanda-knox-shocked-court-ru/story

Senate Bill 61 would severely limit the use of solitary confinement on juveniles in custody. It is believed that the use of solitary confinement on juveniles causes great traumatization and can prevent those juveniles from becoming contributing members to society. http://www.aclu.org//california-end-absolutely-devastating

Theft of property rose 4.5% in California. This was the first such rise since 2004. Many people blame this on the recent sentencing overhaul that resulted in thousands of low level criminals being released from prison. http://online.wsj.com//SB100014241278873236896045782179720

In light of the tragic accident that claimed the life of one of their players, the Cowboys are considering requiring players to install an impairment device in their vehicles. This device acts as a simple video game as opposed to the ignition interlock device Los Angeles requires of people convicted of a first time DUI. http://www.cbssports.com//cowboys-considering-use-of-impai

Looks like Lindsay Lohan is in major trouble again. She is currently facing four criminal charges, three in New York and one in Los Angeles. Not to mention any probation violations she may incur. She was in my courtroom when I was a DA, and to say this news does not surprise me is an understatement. http://www.tmz.com/videos/0_upwp6hs1/

Professional athletes are keeping criminal defense attorneys busy these days. Marshawn Lynch was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Dez Bryant was arrested for allegedly striking his own mother. And, Jason Kidd smashed his car into a tree after allegedly trying to drive home drunk. Also, an inebriated Jason Kidd was supposedly carried out to his car by his friends. I use the term friends loosely, since they let him drive. http://ca.sports.yahoo.com//jason-kidd-arrested-suspicion-

Because of the overcrowding of jails, new California law allows prisoners sentenced to state jail time to serve their sentences in county jails. This was only suppose to be for nonviolent offenses, but it appears some violent offenders are being transferred to county jail as well. http://www.dailydemocrat.com//california-shuffles-crimes-u

In a sign of how broke our state and county is, Los Angeles began the process of closing over 50 courtrooms last Friday. More cuts are to come as well. http://www.google.com//article/ALeqM5hzgesg1Voufk1WLUKPwGa

In another 5-4 travesty, the Supreme Court ruled that anyone arrested and processed at a jail facility can be strip searched. The case arises from an individual arrested for an oustanding traffic ticket who was subject to two evasive strip searches. http://www.huffingtonpost.com//supreme-court-strip-searche

If you owe a lot of money to the Los Angeles Courts because of an old traffic ticket, you should check out this announcement. They have an amnesty program that lasts until July of this year whereby you can clear up your tickets by paying 50% of the asking price. If you want more information, give me a call (424)242-9403. http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/traffic//AmnestyProgram.aspx

The head of the Sheriff's Department may have violated state law when he endorsed a potential District Attorney candidate. The next issue is whether he should face criminal charges for such a violation. Either way, this shows that the upcoming District Attorney race could involve a lot of mud slinging. http://articles.latimes.com///18/local/la-me-baca-20120218

The following video has caused an uproar because many people believe it shows a police officer planting narcotics in a suspect's car. The police have defended the officer saying he did nothing wrong. Watch the video, read the article and decide for yourself. http://news.yahoo.com//viral-video-appears-show-cop-planti