In North Dakota, a useful law over the years for defendants charged with felonies is the misdemeanor by disposition statute. N.D.C.C. § 12.1-32-02(9) states that “[a] person who is convicted of a felony and sentenced to  imprisonment for not more than three hundred sixty days is deemed to have been convicted of a misdemeanor.” This [...] The post Misdemeanor By Disposition In North Dakota appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

We have all seen the public service ads by various law enforcement agencies and the department of transportation where they talk about the dangers of buzzed driving. The ads equate buzzed driving with being under the influence of intoxicating liquor. The ads then cite numerous unfortunate traffic deaths involving people driving under the influence of [...] The post Buzzed Driving Is Reckless Driving In North Dakota appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

Criminal law is a set of rules that defines acts that are deemed illegal.  Criminal Procedure outlines how the government will prosecute you if you commit these acts. If you are charged with a crime, it is a very serious matter. Not only is your freedom at stake, but elements in your future may be [...] The post Why You Need to Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

This article is based on my 23 years of experience, having zealously defended hundreds of DUI cases, reviewing hundreds of DUI police reports, and watching hundreds of police videos.  It is not intended to be politically correct, nor a thorough article on the science of standardized field sobriety tests. Instead, it is a no-nonsense, practical [...] The post Standardized Field Sobriety Tests: Should I take them?! appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

As both an attorney and MMA fan, I thought I would write an article about the recent legal troubles of UFC Superstar, Conor McGregor. For a fun, yet informative article, let's assume Conor did not commit the alleged acts in Brooklyn, New York. But instead, he committed the acts in Cass County, North Dakota, at [...] The post What if Conor McGregor had done that at the Fargodome? appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

I have been practicing criminal defense for almost 22 years.  Based on my experience, I can definitely attest to the fact that Murphy's law definitely applies to arrest warrants.  People with active arrest warrants do not get arrested when it is convenient for them.  Typically, they get arrested at the worst and most inconvenient time [...] The post Murphy’s Law and Arrest Warrants appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

Don't toss your Fourth Amendment rights out the window. The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects Americans from "unreasonable seizures" from their government. This is a very important right that few countries have to protect their citizens from their government. Compare this to 1938 Nazi Germany, where law enforcement officers could stop any [...] The post Does your vehicle scream, “Stop me, officer?!” appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more

In North Dakota, you have thirty days after the Judgment has been entered to appeal your conviction. For this article, I am going to assume the conviction was in a North Dakota state district court. 1 The first thing a criminal defendant must assess is whether he should appeal the conviction to the North Dakota [...] The post The criminal appeals process in North Dakota simplified appeared first on Richard Edinger ..read more