Stobbs Law Offices

Weinmann v. McClone: When is an Officer Justified to Use Deadly Force?

June 1st, 2015

This Wednesday, the Seventh Circuit issued an interesting opinion regarding police shootings. On November 12, 2007, Jerome Weinmann celebrated his one year anniversary with his wife by guzzling half a bottle of vodka, holing himself in his garage with a shotgun, and taking four bullets from a responding police officer. When Officer McClone arrived at […]

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Federal Law Regarding ACLU v. Clapper, No. 14-42-CV (2d Cir. May 7, 2015)

May 20th, 2015

The Second Circuit saved itself some trouble in their May 7 decision, ACLU v. Clapper. Faced with a challenge to the NSA’s bulk phone metadata collection program, the federal appeals court determined the practice exceeded the scope of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, particularly Section 215 of PATRIOT Act amendments. For now, Section 215 allows […]

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Rodriguez v. United States Analysis by Edwardsville Criminal Defense Attorney, John Stobbs

May 7th, 2015

Recent events have forced our society to confront unpleasant realities with respect to law enforcement. In light of numerous recent police controversies, the public’s faith in those who “serve and protect” has faded substantially. Only two days after Freddy Gray’s suspicious death in police custody, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Rodriguez v. United States. The case represents […]

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Edwardsville Criminal Defense Attorney Reviews K-9 Drug Detection Reliability

January 29th, 2015

Law enforcement agencies have been increasingly dependent on drug-detection K-9’s, but are their results reliable in court? A K-9 must have completed a training course and be certified in order to be used on the field or for a K-9’s alerts to be recognized by a court. In the recent years, the effectiveness and reliability […]

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CNN Espanol Interviews John Stobbs about Michael Brown and Ferguson, MO

November 12th, 2014

CNN Espanol and John Stobbs discuss the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, MO.

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A Brief Overview of Child Pornography Laws and Key Problems

May 27th, 2014

The government has many reasons for criminalizing the production and distribution of child pornography. First, there is a compelling governmental interest in safeguarding the physical and psychological well being of minors. Second, the distribution of child pornography is intrinsically connected to the sexual abuse of children. Third, distribution of child pornography provides integral economic incentive for its production. Finally, […]

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The Seventh Circuit’s Interpretation of “Sexual Activity”

April 27th, 2014

Due to recent case law developments, whether or not a person will face a minimum 10-year sentence for attempted sexual enticement of a minor depends on how his jurisdiction chooses to define two words: sexual activity. As of now, at least two circuits have chosen vastly different definitions. With the increase of internet related crimes, this question is […]

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White Collar Crime – Question of Guilty Plea

November 14th, 2012

In January 2009, Allan Sloan, senior editor at large for Fortune Magazine, was interviewed by NPR news. The subject of the interview was putting white collar crime in perspective—historically and recently. White collar crime is misunderstood by the general public because the vast majority of the public does not understand finance. Because our country is […]

Tags: acquittal, finance, White collar crime
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The Court of Public Opinion: the Defense of Sexual Misconduct charges against Women

November 12th, 2012

Recently Sarah Jones has been in the spotlight because of accusations of sexual misconduct. Jones was a teacher in Kentucky while also a professional football cheerleader for the Bengals. She was accused of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old student while in a position of authority over him. She had been in the media before, when […]

Tags: position of authority, public opinion, Sandusky, Sarah Jones, sex, Sexual Misconduct
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False Accusations of Molestation: Is it possible Jerry Sandusky is innocent?

November 9th, 2012

In light of the sentencing that took place today, giving former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky 30-60 years in prison for a conviction of child molestation, the discussion should be opened: is it possible that Sandusky is innocent? He has stood by his position of innocence from the beginning of the investigation, even saying […]

Tags: child molestation, children, gray area, Jerry Sandusky
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