Newsletters

Violations of the Poultry Products Inspection Act

The Poultry Products Inspection Act was enacted to protect the health and welfare of consumers. The Act ensures that poultry products that are distributed in interstate commerce are of good quality and comply with the requirements set forth under the Act. The Act provides prohibitions against numerous types of conduct. More...

Preliminary Criminal Proceedings

After a defendant has been arrested and may have been released, he or she is required to appear for an arraignment. An arraignment is a court appearance in which defendant is brought before a judge or magistrate and apprised of the charges lodged against him or her. Ordinarily with respect to a misdemeanor offense, the defendant will only be arraigned once. However, with a felony offense, the defendant may be arraigned more than once if the offense is changed from the offense listed in the initial accusatory instrument.More...

A DEFENDANT'S RIGHT TO CONFRONT WITNESSES

Under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a defendant has a right to confront his or her adverse witnesses. This means that the defendant has a right to a face-to-face meeting with the witnesses. Included in this right is the right to cross-examine the witnesses. More...

Criminal Violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

An individual who violates the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)may be charged in either a criminal or civil forum. OSHA was enacted to protect workers from unsafe conditions in the workplace. More...

FINES & COSTS

When a defendant is convicted of a criminal offense, the defendant is usually required to pay fines and costs as part of his or her sentence. If the defendant has only been ordered to pay fines and costs, the defendant will be discharged from a judgment requiring fines and costs upon full payment of the fines and costs to the proper authorities. More...