Under Wisconsin criminal laws, drug possession is a serious charge which can lead to serious penalties. If convicted, you could face several years in prison, steep fines, the loss of certain rights such as voting, as well as damage to your reputation, and the inability to hold particular jobs or licenses. Simply put, a conviction on drug possession charges has the potential to ruin your life.
When it comes to police searches, most people are not completely aware of what police can and cannot do. At one end of the spectrum, some people just automatically comply with police instructions when they want to search or seize evidence. At the other end, some are firmly convinced that they have personal liberty over everything and that police can seize or search nothing. This is even more pronounced when you are dealing with something like your cell phone that can hold some of your most personal information.
The First Amendment guarantees your right to peaceably assemble and express yourself by engaging in lawful protests. Neither the federal government nor the state may unduly restrict this aspect of free speech. As such, Wisconsin courts closely scrutinize criminal laws limiting your rights to protest. Even otherwise lawful criminal statutes might be unlawfully applied to your case.
Many people who have been convicted of a crime mistakenly believe they can resume their normal lives after “doing their time.” However, many people find that the collateral consequences of criminal conviction significantly outweigh the direct penalties of the crime. For example, the inability to find stable employment and housing often leads to financial strain, and convicted offenders seldom qualify for public assistance, loan deferral programs, or private financing. These factors frequently keep people from pursuing educational opportunities, moving out of a challenging home environment, starting a new career, or otherwise moving forward with their lives.
Unlike certain traffic infractions, misdemeanor convictions appear on your criminal record. Misdemeanors often carry serious consequences, including imprisonment, fines, and probation. Just because felony convictions bear more substantial collateral penalties does not mean defendants should forgo their right to an Appleton misdemeanor defense lawyer.
No. Marijuana remains illegal in Wisconsin for both recreation and medical use. Wisconsin has some of the firmest anti-marijuana laws in the United States. Canada, Michigan, and now Illinois all permit recreational marijuana possession and use. As such, many first-time offenders unassumingly bring marijuana into the state without considering the consequences.
The prospect of facing a homicide prosecution is petrifying with or without a strong homicide defense. Homicide is defined as the act whereby one human being causes the death of another human being – but, importantly, not all homicides are murders. In Wisconsin, certain types of homicide are criminal, but not all homicide is unlawful. Some homicides are legally justifiable, while others are legally excusable. In either case, the individual who killed another would not be legally culpable for the killing. For this reason, it’s critical that anyone facing criminal charges related to homicide retain an experienced lawyer as soon as possible.
On November 30, 1983, tragedy struck the family of an accomplished young woman named Marsalee (Marsy) Ann Nicholas. Marsy was brutally stalked and murdered by an ex-boyfriend that day, and while still reeling from the pain of this loss, Marsy’s mother was shockingly confronted by Marsy’s killer on the way home from Marsy’s funeral. Marsy’s murderer had been released on bail a few days prior to Marsy’s funeral, but her family hadn’t been notified. The judicial oversights that resulted in this confrontation lead to a campaign for legal reform. Marsy’s family advocated for the enactment of state constitutional rights that would provide victims of crimes with rights equal to those afforded to the accused. These reformations became known as “Marsy’s Law,” which has been adopted in some form by 11 states. Wisconsin Set to Vote on Marsy’s Law Amendment Next Week On April 7, 2020, Wisconsin residents are scheduled to … Continued