tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60602371297139900302024-03-20T05:20:16.238-06:00Pueblo Personal Injury, Civil Rights & Criminal Law BlogCommitted to making a difference to the people we serve
at the Law Office of Matthew Scott Martin, LLC, in Pueblo, Colorado, we believe strongly in the rights of individuals. We are ready, willing, and able to fight anybody, anywhere, anytime to protect and defend the civil rights of our clients. If you want a lawyer who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you throughout your case, Pueblo attorney Matt Martin is the lawyer for you.Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6060237129713990030.post-31760636168997973312016-01-15T16:32:00.001-07:002016-01-27T07:10:50.250-07:00How Can You Represent That Man?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1VPHJ3bLPWMS8b0kH35SMmvdSKgoF2SvFMiKBFeSHCMCiFwH65b1hHdzLrRSj_D_E9_8nTQnEGGhp7hhoa8DJUAyQEvbHJGsz9-HSsQgEAXU4H6DoPFdkCJGWvq7UxJSoCgtCsoqXZfU/s1600/M+003_pp+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1VPHJ3bLPWMS8b0kH35SMmvdSKgoF2SvFMiKBFeSHCMCiFwH65b1hHdzLrRSj_D_E9_8nTQnEGGhp7hhoa8DJUAyQEvbHJGsz9-HSsQgEAXU4H6DoPFdkCJGWvq7UxJSoCgtCsoqXZfU/s200/M+003_pp+copy.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">AS A <a href="http://mattmartinlaw.com/" target="_blank">CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER</a>, I OFTEN HEAR AN ASTONISHED, “HOW CAN YOU
REPRESENT A MAN CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A CHILD?!”</span>
</h2>
<h1>
<o:p></o:p></h1>
<h3 style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is how.</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></h3>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 16px;">In a recent jury trial, I am sitting by my client Joe Smith (all names in this post are fictitious), in a room full of strangers, including potential jurors. Above us all, between the American and Colorado flags, sits Judge Thompson, in a nondescript black robe that nonetheless conveys ultimate authority in the courtroom. Two plainclothes deputies sit behind us, ready to spring into action should Joe attempt to escape or should someone attack him.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt;">
<span class="Heading2Char"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">It begins.</span></span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“My name
is Judge Thompson. The matter before you today is a criminal case. <b>The
defendant, Joe Smith, is charged with</b> <b>two
counts of sexual assault on a child</b>.”</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They hate us, now</span></em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, I think,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">for</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></span><em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">interrupting
their daily routines for this despised crime.</span></em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She
continues, "The defendant has pleaded not guilty."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I feel
very alone as I look for reactions to the charges. I generally enjoy my alone
moments, but not this one.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Make
sure you are sitting close to Joe,</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I tell myself<em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "sans-serif";">.
Don’t recoil at the charges in the jury’s presence.</span></em></span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Life in prison for sexual assault on a child</span>.</span></h3>
<h2>
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">Few
crimes are more heinous than sexually assaulting a child. Coloradans so fear
sexual predators that our law allows us to send convicted offenders to prison
for the rest of their natural lives. Very few ever get out on parole.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">As Judge
Thompson continues, I tell myself,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They all
think he’s guilty, even though I haven’t said a word in his defense yet</span></em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">.
I know what’s coming from the prosecutor, too. She will paint my client
as a vicious animal, the creator of a cruel and violent household environment,
to maintain power and control over the alleged victim and her mother – Joe’s
live-in. I look over the potential jurors, thinking,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They don’t even want to hear the evidence or
render a verdict: “Just sentence the b_______ and let us go home!</span></em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">"</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">“Frontier justice: hang ‘em high!”
</span></h3>
<h2>
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">One of
them confirms my thoughts. He volunteers to the judge: “<b>Those people ought
to be strung up by the testicles (not his word) and shot.</b>"</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="line-height: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></span><em style="line-height: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Keep a poker face,</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space" style="line-height: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">I remind myself, hoping Joe is doing the
same. The judge excuses the man from further service in this case. Other
potential jurors simply say that they cannot pass judgment in such a case.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I want
to clear a pathway for the jurors, <b>if warranted by the evidence</b>, to a
not-guilty verdict, regardless of their personal biases. For this, the jurors must
recognize that our constitutional rights are paramount.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“These
are very difficult charges for most people,” I say, when it’s my turn to speak,
three hours after the trial starts. “This is not shoplifting a comb. It’s a
horrible crime.” </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="line-height: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mr. Jones provides an opening.</span></span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I look at Mr. Jones, a potential juror, recently retired from the Navy after nearly 25 years, a coach of youngsters in three sports, a family man who plans teaching as a second career. All my training and experience is screaming, </span><i style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">DO NOT PICK MR. JONES!</i><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> as his military career predisposes him toward the government, and his second career shows he is committed to the well-being of children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“Mr. Jones, have you been in battle?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“Yes,” he answers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“Did you take an oath when joining the Navy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“What was that oath?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“I solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United
States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” he answers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
“Mr. Jones, do you believe in the presumption of innocence."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
"Yes," he replies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
"Why?" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
"It is essential to our freedom."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
I then ask, "Is it one of those rights you swore to uphold when you joined
up?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
"Yes".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
"One of those principles you defended on the battlefield?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
"Yes."</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A pathway to justice.</span></h3>
<h2>
<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div style="line-height: 12.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">The
pathway has appeared. Now the rest of the potential jurors know that among them
is a man who has put his life on the line to defend basic civil rights at stake
in this trial. I now want to keep Mr. Jones on this jury. The risk is, he might
view Joe as a threat to society. But I trust my instincts, and keep him on.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The verdict.</span></span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">By the
end of the trial, I am not the only one willing to speak for Joe. </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 12pt;">The jury,
with their foreperson Mr. Jones, find Joe not guilty of both sexual assault
charges, although, guilty of other, less serious, non-sex related crimes toward
the child's mother. This was, of course, a huge victory for Joe, who had maintained his
innocence of the sex charges from the beginning.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why <a href="http://mattmartinlaw.com/" target="_blank">I</a> can represent that man.</span></span></h3>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: normal;">If we attorneys will not use our legal skills, education and experience to speak up for those who need a voice, then who will? Like many lawyers, I speak up for others, even the guilty (although they’re innocent unless proven guilty, in our country), and take on unpopular causes, when no one else will. By doing so I pay tribute to the lives, fortunes and sacred honor that our nation’s founders - and countless others since – have pledged for the defense of fundamental American liberties. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For <a href="http://mattmartinlaw.com/" target="_blank">me</a>,
as an American lawyer, Joe's trial was another opportunity to speak up for
someone’s life, and a victory for civil liberty. Mr. Jones and my Dad did it in
the military; and, now, I get to do it every day in the courtroom. And whenever
I feel so alone at the defense table, this answers the question, “How can you
represent that man?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6060237129713990030.post-78169466440838797782014-11-06T19:13:00.003-07:002014-11-06T19:13:38.760-07:00The Temporary Demise of ,"Stand Up, Speak Up for Your Rights, with Matt Martin"My weekly radio talk show, "Stand Up, Speak Up for Your Rights, with Matt Martin," a self-described provocative, entertaining and useful talk radio show on the law is at a temporary end. The show was on I25 Talk Radio, 690 AM in Pueblo and 1490 AM in Colorado Springs. The station underwent a change of ownership. The new ownership group immediately and without warning switched format of 690 AM from talk radio to oldies. 1490 AM, however, was not included in the deal.<br />
<br />
I would like to take the show to internet radio, but I am going to take a break, and if the urge hits me, I will plan out every aspect of the show to the smallest detail. And, the existence of show, and the business entity inside of which the show is conceived, produced and distributed, will not be at the whim of anyone but me.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for news on the show, and for other blogs on legal topics.Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6060237129713990030.post-53428981746999206032014-06-12T13:00:00.004-06:002014-06-29T17:08:24.672-06:00Miss a little on "Stand Up Speak Up for Your Rights with Matt Martin," and you miss a lot.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqF3DeCtuXyr3zSfP-n-hikTTkYqyNMYhO5HQINHrn_DQJGebcXF_FvNlwb4dmRrivItt3kmLVg1tTHkJxdL4p08rrR1MSqa3v3BzDEkauSoYfwDMStgXHFfqzH0z1LcbUb12r28gq610/s1600/M+003_pp+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqF3DeCtuXyr3zSfP-n-hikTTkYqyNMYhO5HQINHrn_DQJGebcXF_FvNlwb4dmRrivItt3kmLVg1tTHkJxdL4p08rrR1MSqa3v3BzDEkauSoYfwDMStgXHFfqzH0z1LcbUb12r28gq610/s1600/M+003_pp+copy.jpg" height="320" width="251" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I intend that my weekly talk radio show, <a href="http://mattmartinpueblo.blogspot.com/2013/07/hosting-new-radio-talk-show-on-law.html" target="_blank">"Stand Up, Speak Up for Your Rights, with Matt Martin,"</a> is a provocative, entertaining and useful talk radio show on the law. When you miss a little, you miss a lot. June 11, 2014, for example, we lampooned the RNC's statement to the press on the impact of legalized marijuana on the GOP's decision on whether Denver will play host to the 2016 Republication National Convention. The <a href="http://www.chieftain.com/news/2635180-120/denver-2016-convention-legal" target="_blank">Pueblo Chieftain</a> stated that the RNC Chair said "<span style="background-color: white;">that logistics are more important than local marijuana laws. . . that he’s “not a big fan” of legal marijuana but that party officials aren’t considering it in their decision." On the show, I said one has to read between the lines as to what the RNC Chair really meant, and keep in mind that, despite legalization of marijuana use in Colorado, the GOP is STILL scouting out Denver as a possible site for the convention. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anyway, o</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ne possible interpretation when one reads between the lines: "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are not boycotting Colorado because of legal marijuana; in fact, we can’t wait to get there."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another possible interpretation</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Legalized marijuana won’t affect our decision-making until we are actually in Colorado for the Convention and stoned out of our gourds."</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like I said, miss a little, and you miss a lot.</span></div>
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Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6060237129713990030.post-81472060118921534622014-01-07T13:08:00.004-07:002014-01-07T21:21:44.878-07:00Federal marijuana laws are the supreme law of the land.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Do the feds have to obey state laws legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, such as those laws in Colorado and the state of Washington? The answer is no; the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">federal government can enforce its laws outlawing possession of marijuana at any time, but they have chosen not to do so in those states permitting the possession of small amounts of marijuana, as long as the </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“states and local governments that have enacted laws authorizing
marijuana-related conduct . . . implement strong and effective regulatory and enforcement
systems that . . . address the threat those state laws could pose to public
safety, public health, and other law enforcement interests.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;"> See the August 29, 2013 <a href="http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/resources/3052013829132756857467.pdf" target="_blank">memorandum </a>sent to all US Attorneys by the Department of Justice, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">and an accompanying <a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/August/13-opa-974.html" target="_blank">press release</a> from the DOJ. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Federal laws are the supreme law of the land “and the Judges in every
State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any
State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi" target="_blank">US Const. Art. VI, Cl 2</a>. Further, the
Constitution grants Congress the power to “regulate Commerce with foreign
Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.” <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section8" target="_blank">US Const. Art.I, § 8, Cl 3</a>. The US Supreme Court, in <u><a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15647611274064109718&hl=en&as_sdt=4006" target="_blank">Gonzales v. Raich</a></u>, 545 U.S. 1
(U.S. 2005), was faced whether a seizure of six medicinal marijuana plants in
California by local and federal agents was lawful. In <u><a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15647611274064109718&hl=en&as_sdt=4006" target="_blank">Raich</a></u>, the defendants’
growth and possession of six marijuana plants was legal under California’s
medical marijuana law and illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act
(CSA). The defendants claimed in a lawsuit against the US Attorney General and
the head of the DEA that the seizure was unlawful under <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section8" target="_blank">Commerce Clause</a>, the <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fifth_amendment" target="_blank">DueProcess Clause of the Fifth Amendment</a>, the <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/ninth_amendment" target="_blank">Ninth </a>and <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/tenth_amendment" target="_blank">Tenth </a>Amendments of the
Constitution, and the<a href="http://norml.org/marijuana/medical/item/medical-necessity-defense" target="_blank"> doctrine of medical necessity.</a> The US Supreme Court
upheld the seizure, holding that “the CSA is a valid exercise of federal power,”
<u><a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15647611274064109718&hl=en&as_sdt=4006" target="_blank">Id</a></u>., at 9 (U.S. 2005), “the regulation is
squarely within Congress' commerce power because production of the commodity
meant for home consumption . . . has a substantial effect on supply and demand
in the national market for that commodity,” <u><a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15647611274064109718&hl=en&as_sdt=4006" target="_blank">Id</a></u>., at 19, and that this
power “includes the power to prohibit commerce in a particular commodity.” <u><a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15647611274064109718&hl=en&as_sdt=4006" target="_blank">Id</a></u>.,
n. 29. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6060237129713990030.post-12423307749563575252013-05-13T21:30:00.001-06:002013-05-14T11:34:05.201-06:00Colorado Job Protection Civil Rights Enforcement Act of 2013 Signed Into Law!Well, its about time. On May 6, 2013, Governor Hickenlooper signed into law the <a href="http://www.statebillinfo.com/bills/bills/13/1136_ren.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colorado Job Protection Civil Rights Enforcement Act of 2013</a>. This law, which is located at C.R.S. 24-34-405, remedies a woeful situation for employees who are victims of <b>intentional </b>discriminatory and unfair employment practices in Colorado companies with less than 15 employees. Here are the highlights:<br />
<ul>
<li> Federal law permits compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys fees and costs for victims of employment discrimination, but only for those employed in companies with 15 or more employees. Until now, there was no such protection for Colorado victims of <b>intentional</b> employment discrimination in companies with less than 15 employees. </li>
<li>Not only will employees of Colorado companies with less than 15 employees who are victims of <b>intentional</b> discrimination have the usual remedies of front pay, back pay, interest on back pay, reinstatement or hiring, and other equitable relief, but they now will also have available to them the remedies of compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys fees and costs (subject to the same limitations specified in the federal "Civil Rights Act of 1991"). </li>
<li>And, this <a href="http://www.statebillinfo.com/bills/bills/13/1136_ren.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new Colorado law</a> even ventures where the federal law does not by providing for compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys fees and costs for victims of employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation! </li>
<li>This <a href="http://www.statebillinfo.com/bills/bills/13/1136_ren.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new Colorado law</a> eliminates the prohibition of age discrimination claims by persons 70 years of age or older. </li>
<li>Finally, these changes apply not just to court proceedings, but also to administrative proceedings in the Colorado Civil Rights Division. </li>
</ul>
This new law has limitations, of course. So, if you or someone you know are a victim of intentional discrimination in a company with less than 15 employees, please consult an attorney to discover your rights.<br />
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Colorado employees can be grateful for the efforts of the <a href="http://www.ctlanet.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colorado Trial Lawyers Association</a> in supporting this crucial legislation.Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6060237129713990030.post-91740004008778921502013-05-13T14:56:00.000-06:002016-01-17T10:51:41.650-07:00Welcome<br />
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Welcome to my legal Blog. I have created this blog to show those who need legal help with criminal charges (felonies, misdemeanors, drug charges, sex crimes, DUI, homicide), personal injuries (car accidents), or civil rights issues (policy brutality, excessive force, First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, employment discrimination, housing discrimination) that you are not alone. There are others that have gone through what you are going through and I am here to tell you that I have seen a lot and worked with a lot of different people and I am confident that based upon my many years of experience I can help you as well. Please call me now at 719-545-0027 or view my website at <a href="http://www.mattmartinlaw.com/">http://www.mattmartinlaw.com/</a><br />
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Matthew Scott Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17293523525160264264noreply@blogger.com0