» Criminal Defense

The Rules of Evidence dictate what evidence the jury can and cannot consider and can play a key role in the outcome of a criminal case. Judges enjoy considerable discretion in applying the Rules of Evidence and deciding whether to allow or exclude ev… Read More

A Rule 35 Motion can reduce a defendant’s sentence in a federal criminal case. Under Rule 35, a federal district court judge may, at the government’s request, reduce the punishment imposed upon a defendant who provided “substantial assistanceâ€â€¦ Read More

Witness testimony can have a dramatic effect on criminal proceedings. It can be the deciding factor in determining guilt or innocence and whether a defendant will be incarcerated or set free. Nonetheless, witnesses are not infallible. While an honest… Read More

Anyone charged with a crime in the United States is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Before arresting a suspect, police must have probable cause to believe they committed a crime. In felony and Class A misdemeanor case… Read More

Anyone charged with a crime in the United States has the legal right to represent themselves. But, it is rarely a good idea. The United States criminal legal system is an adversarial one that operates under the principle that a person can only be con… Read More

While movies and TV crime dramas may depict the lie detector test as the ultimate way to catch a criminal, polygraph evidence is almost exclusively inadmissible in Utah legal proceedings. Utah law does not currently allow polygraph evidence to be int… Read More

A search warrant is a court order that allows law enforcement officials to search a specific location for specific evidence that can be used to charge a person with a crime. To obtain a warrant, law enforcement officers must convince a judge they hav… Read More

A criminal defendant can raise the defense of entrapment to claim they were coerced or induced by law enforcement officers to commit a crime they would not have otherwise committed. The goal of an entrapment defense is to show that the government imp… Read More