Arizona Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Impact of Maryland v. King Ruling on Arizona: What it gives and what it takes. Privacy rights were outweighed by law enforcement interests in the United States Supreme Court’s June 3rd ruling in Maryland v. King. In this case, the Court was divided 5-4 over the question of DNA sample collection. All states and the…

But Medical Marijuana Card Holders Not without Risk Almost three years after passage, Medical marijuana remains controversial in Arizona. Medical Marijuana was legalized in 2010 through voter passage of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA). The purpose of the AMMA is to protect patients with debilitating medical conditions, so that they can obtain necessary relief.…

No “substantial penalties” can be imposed as a result of exercising their Fifth Amendment Rights Most people know they have a Fifth Amendment right not to be forced to incriminate oneself. This right encompasses not only the right not to speak about something that might lead you to actually admit to wrongdoing, but also the…

Why Missouri v. McNeely won’t have much impact in Maricopa CountyA recent U.S. Supreme Court decision may not change Arizona DUI law, but it may bring the rest of the nation more in line with Arizona’s policies. Phoenix AZ court’s Search Warrant Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for police…

DUI one of four main causes of fatal and serious auto accidents on Arizona roadways. Enforcement of Arizona’s tough DUI laws tend to ramp up in May, especially over Memorial Day weekend and around graduation festivities. Last year, police arrested 3,129 people for DUIs between May 1 and May 31st, 556 of those arrests were…

How National Agency’s Recommendations Will Impact Arizona Drivers Arizona has tough DUI laws. They may get tougher, but not by much. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency, recently recommended, among other things, that the blood alcohol threshold be dropped from .08 BAC to .05 in all 50 states. Those drivers whose…

The Court of Appeals of Arizona recently decided an appeal regarding aggravated DUI in the case State of Arizona v. John Patrick McDonagh. This is an interesting case that works in favor of DUI defendants. It arose when the State charged the defendant with four counts of aggravated DUI. These were all variations on the…

Driving drowsy isn’t a crime. But it can lead to other serious vehicular offenses including DUI or reckless endangerment. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Center for Disease Control (CDC) have released reports about hazards of “drowsy driving”. Both of these are high risk behaviors that can result in serious…

Tempe Police warn drivers to plan ahead. Tempe Police Department announced this week that it will be working in cooperation with Scottsdale Police, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department, and the AZ Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in a joint DUI Task Enforcement. It is scheduled to take place surrounding the 2013 St. Patrick’s Day festivities, beginning…

Arizona Court of Appeals rules non-impairing Marijuana ingredients qualify for DUI prosecution. A recent Marijuana DUI dismissal was overturned in favor of the state and moved for continued prosecution in the Arizona Court of Appeals. The main legal issue was whether or not a motorist could be prosecuted for Marijuana DUI when the only evidence…