Koehler Law Blog
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Koehler Law defends people charged with criminal offenses in D.C., Arlington, and Alexandria. On the blog, author and attorney, Jamison Koehler shares stories and experiences as a Criminal lawyer. He also talks about current legal issues and high-profile public cases and engages readers in playful, entertaining yet informative ways.
Koehler Law Blog
1M ago
D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring issued an order on March 15, 2024, that renewed for four years the list of attorneys eligible to accept appointments under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). The full list is provided below. This is the first re-establishment of the panel since 2018. (The 2022 renewal was delayed because of the pandemic.) The order ...
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The post Renewal of CJA Panel for 2024 first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
2M ago
When I last wrote about my niece Emma, she was an all-Ivy scholar and athlete, the leading scorer and captain of her college soccer team. Since that ground-breaking blog entry of 2012, Emma has played professional soccer. She is still, as I described her back then, pretty, smart, personable and modest, a woman who not only knows how to take ...
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The post Ode to a legal career first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
4M ago
As a junior public defender in Philadelphia, I was always impressed when watching an experienced criminal defense lawyer conduct a cross-examination. I am thinking of Brian McMonagle, who at one point represented Bill Cosby. Or Scott DiClaudio, who is now a controversial judge in Philadelphia. Or Jamie Funt who, as far as I can tell, is still practicing criminal defense ...
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The post Looking for “white spaces” in the prosecution’s case first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
5M ago
Years ago, back when I was a junior public defender in Philadelphia and believed almost everything clients told me, I interviewed a client charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. “I was walking down the street that day,” the client told me. “As I walked by this playground, I saw a gun in the bushes close to ...
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The post Evans v. U.S.: More on the innocent possession of a firearm first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
5M ago
Many years ago, when I first started work at D.C. Superior Court, I had a daily encounter with an older woman as I came into the court building each morning. Dressed nicely and sitting on the bank of chairs outside the lawyer’s lounge, the woman always appeared to be speaking on the phone about some weighty constitutional issue. The woman ...
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The post A man with a destination first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
5M ago
The brother of my court-appointed client takes me from the courtroom into the hallway to dress me down for a legal decision I just made on his brother’s behalf. The brother cites a legal platitude that, though true, had nothing to do with the decision I just made. “You and I both know I am right on this one,” he ...
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The post On the fumbling hand of counsel first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
6M ago
Her voice is soft and tentative. She may be trying to apologize, but the sniffling makes it hard to understand her. What is clear is that she is feeling pretty sorry for herself. If I stood next to her at a plea hearing in D.C. Superior Court, she would not have impressed me as someone with any substance or maturity. ...
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The post Storming the Capitol with Jenna Ellis first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
6M ago
I spend a lot of time on the Acela. So too do other people I have encountered in the quiet car over the last year or so: Tony Fauci, Matt Gaetz, Charlie Gibson, John King, Elise Stefanik, Karine Jean-Pierre, Joe Walsh, and Dan Goldman. In some cases, such as with Gaetz or Stefanik, I have had to suppress the ...
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The post Riding the Acela with Matt Gaetz first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
6M ago
D.C. Superior Court judges do not typically allow re-cross examinations. Yes, you have a constitutional right to confront witnesses against you in a criminal proceeding. But, with judges enjoying widespread discretion to oversee the proceedings, this right is not without its limits. The defendant in Gabriel Sanchez v. United States, 287 A.3d 1241 (D.C. 2023), was charged with Assault with Intent to Kill ...
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The post Limiting recross examination in Sanchez v. U.S. first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more
Koehler Law Blog
7M ago
During the pandemic, criminal defense lawyers got spoiled with the favorable plea offers. With dockets backing up, the government was desperate to resolve cases through non-trial dispositions. One prosecutor compared it to a “fire sale.” Those times are over. I have noticed this. My colleagues have noticed this. And a long-time judge on the felony calendar who knows about these ...
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The post Lousy plea offers. More trials. first appeared on Koehler Law ..read more