By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. & Megan E. Coleman, Esq. In Lawrence v. State, 257 A.3rd 588 (2021), the Court of Appeals (COA) was called upon to answer the following question: Is wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun on or about one’s person a strict...
Maryland and Washington DC Criminal Defense Blog
DRONE SURVEILLANCE – WHO’S WATCHING YOU
DRONE SURVEILLANCE INVADING YOUR PRIVACY AND SOME FOURTH AMENDMENT THOUGHTS By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. and Megan E. Coleman, Esq. Transitioning from the days of rotary phones and TV sets that carried only three channels to the current era where it seems that there is a...
Sex Offense Trials: The Path Forward for CJP § 10-923 – Sexually Assaultive Behavior
By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. and Megan E. Coleman, Esq. This article will do a deep dive into Woodlin v. State, implications of the opinion, and practice pointers for practitioners and judges. This summer, the Maryland Supreme Court decided Woodlin v. State,...
“SELECTIVE” OR “CONFIRMATORY” IDENTIFICATION? – REYES V. STATE
By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. & Megan E. Coleman, Esq. In Reyes v. State, 257 Md. App. 596 (2023), Reyes was convicted by jury of attempted first-degree murder. The victim of the shooting, Daniel Bartley, made both a pre-trial and in-court identification...
SEARCHING CELL PHONES – WHEN, HOW AND LIMITS ON USE
By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. & Megan E. Coleman, Esq. In a 2015 article captioned "Authenticating Evidence Found On Social Media and In Cell Phones - It's Complicated" we discussed a number of appellate opinions dealing with the introduction of cell phone...
“ZOOMING” Through The 6th Amendment
Challenges of Remote Video Trials and Hearings & Effect on the Right to Confront WItnesses through Effective Cross-Examination
RAP LYRICS – MARYLAND COA GIVES FINAL TURN TO KEY LOCKING IN 50 YEAR SENTENCE
By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. MarcusBonsib, LLC In December, 2019 I posted a blog reviewing a decision of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals ("COSA") in which the COSA affirmed the conviction of Lawrence Montague. At Montague's trial, the prosecution was permitted to...
A LOOK AT CAR SEARCHES – ON A “THREE-DIMENSIONAL FOURTH AMENDMENT VOYAGE” WITH JUDGE MOYLAN IN STATE V. WHITE
By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. & Megan E. Coleman, Esq. As Judge Moylan begins the Court's opinion in State v. White, No. 0891, SEPT.TERM, 2019, 2020 WL 5834924 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. Oct. 1, 2020) he invites us to embark on what he describes as a "three-dimensional...
Border Searches of Cellphones and Electronic Devices – A Discussion by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
THE BORDER SEARCH EXCEPTION TO THE WARRANT REQUIREMENTBy Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. and Megan E. Coleman, Esq.Attention federal practitioners! The Fourth Circuit opinion in United States of America v. Raymond Idemudia Aigbekaen, (decided November 21, 2019), in which the...
“Unfriending” On Facebook – An Act That is Ok To Prove Guilt As Accomplice To Attempted Robbery So Says The Maryland Court of Appeals In State v. Sample
"Unfriending" On Facebook - An Act That Is OK To Prove Guilt As An Accomplice To Attempted Robbery So says the Maryland Court of Appeals in State v. Sample By Robert C. Bonsib, Esq. Maryland & Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer - Call me to discuss your case...