http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers help you fight criminal charges in Texas courts. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:39:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The courts of Midland County are imposing new alcohol monitoring restrictions during pre-trial for those who are facing a 2nd offense DWI conviction. These monitoring systems include ignition interlock devices, which stop your car from starting if you have consumed alcohol, and SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) ankle bracelets, ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/05/29/midland-county-tx-dwicourts/ An initially successful appeal of a DWI conviction was overturned by the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals. The issue at hand for a DWI case from Harlingen, TX  in Cameron county was that of the Right to a Speedy Trial, as guaranteed by the 6th amendment of the US Constitution. The ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/05/15/dwi-appeal-denied-by-texas-court/ In a clear blow against logic, rational public policy, disease prevention and costs to the public, a needle exchange program in Bexar county (San Antonio) was declared to violate Texas' drug paraphernalia laws. Texas legislators who support the program hope to fix the law to allow these programs. Studies have show ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/05/15/drug-paraphernalia-laws/ Officers in Lubbock, Texas are enforcing mandatory blood tests for those who refuse to take a breath test after a DWI. If you refuse to take a breath test, they will immediately take you to a medical facility as they process a warrant to extract your blood to test your BAC ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/05/15/dwi-blood-search-warrants/ Teachers in Austin are also being subjected to background checks, similar those Texas nurses have been undergoing. The landscape has clearly changed for the standards of criminal record checks in Texas and nationwide. These checks are standard for all new hires, and as the news reports indicate, many public sector employees are ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/05/14/more-background-check-revalations/ A news article on criminal background checks in Texas on nurses found that 1 in 20 have some incident on their criminal record. Some of these incidents may be arrests without convictions, or charges that are decades old. Background checks are commonly done on new hires, but many of the nurses ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/05/14/criminal-record-checks/ There is a news report from Dallas television station about a breath mint that supposedly "encourages drunk driving" by masking the smell of alcohol. I largely agree with the point that the company is certainly dancing around the edge of encouraging drunk driving to some degree. And I also agree ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/04/16/can-a-breath-mint-beat-a-dwi-arrest-in-texas/ The district attorney's office in San Antonio / Bexar County has announced several new initiatives in prosecuting DWI charges. First, anyone who is arrested on DWI charges and refuses to take a breath test will be required to take a blood test. It is unclear how this "No Refusal" policy will ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/04/02/texas-county-da-toughens-dwi-procedures/ Prosecutors are worried about how new proposed castle laws may effect prosecutions for violent crimes using weapons in Texas. Under the proposed law, if you use a weapon or shoot someone in your home, your car, or your place of business, you are presumed to have the right to use ... http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/03/18/controversy-over-texas-castle-gun-laws/ Here is a fascinating article on one of the Mexican drug cartels that operate in Texas. Federal and local enforcement of drug distribution empires is a dangerous and endless effort. It really is being run like a war. http://www.mytexasdefenselawyer.com/2008/03/18/drug-trafficking-and-violence/