Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly drafted legislation that would unnecessarily expand Florida’s already controversial Stand Your Ground (SYG) law. Under current SYG laws, someone is justified in using deadly force if they “reasonably believe” it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bod
Last week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced plans to file charges against at least a dozen priests in the state as part of a two-year-long clergy abuse investigation within the Catholic Church. To date, the state’s investigation has led to charges against eleven people,…
On September 3, Virginia Randal wrote a 5-star Amazon review of my novel, Betrayal in Black, calling the book “Tragically Realistic.” Ms. Randal wrote: “This country has been increasingly more divided, and racial tensions have been growing seemingly out of control recently, and I picked…
On August 1, 2020, I released my 5th Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series novel. Betrayal High, like other the courtroom dramas in the series, is based on contemporary, real-life issues, and its inspiration comes from an all-too-common occurrence. In this case, however, the occurrence hit…
Most people have seen the eight-minute video of George Floyd lying on his stomach in the street, handcuffed, with the weight of a police officer’s knee pressing down on his neck, while all four officers on the scene ignore Floyd’s cries for breath. Year after…
Patrick Daley, a former fifth-grade teacher, was convicted last October of sexually abusing eight boys over a three year period. He was sentenced up to 15 years in prison. Now, the family of one of the victims has filed a lawsuit against the Holt (Michigan)…
“While thousands of Americans perish daily from Covid-19, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has chosen a scapegoat to distract from our government’s failures. Claiming that the disease will become “the biggest trial lawyer bonanza in history,” Mr. McConnell is drafting legislation to prot
We have all been familiar with the phrase “driving while black” for some time. Last week, I wrote about an incident of “jogging while black.” Sadly, a recent tragedy presents the unthinkable – “sleeping while black.” On March 13, an African-American woman from Kentucky was…
“Stand Your Ground” Laws have been controversial since the shooting death of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. What are “Stand Your Ground” (SYG) laws? Generally, the law concerns the justifiable use of force as protection against endangerment by another party. But the law goes further:…
April has become somewhat symbolic of white supremacists. Perhaps this is because April 19 is Patriot’s Day and April 20 is Adolph Hitler’s birthday. Who knows? What we do know is several symbolic incidents of mass violence have occurred during the month of April. The…
During a recent public hearing, former Ohio State University (OSU) wrestling captain, Adam DiSabato, told state lawmakers that U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan (R) begged him to deny claims that school officials were aware of, and ignored, allegations that a team doctor sexually abused wrestlers for many
Excerpt from an article by the American Civil Liberties Union. “Almost every African-American or Latino can tell a story about being pulled over by the police for no apparent reason other than the color of his or her skin, especially if he or she happened…
