Motion arguing against suspicionless marijuana testing as a condition of pretrial release
This motion argues that, because the routine imposition of marijuana testing as a condition of release is at odds with the current legal, social, and scientific understanding about the risks posed by marijuana use, courts should exercise discretion and not impose a marijuana testing requirement as a pretrial condition of release unless there are specific reasons, beyond mere past […]
Motion for Judgment of Acquittal Where Only Evidence Supporting Possession with Intent to Distribute is Amount of Methamphetamine Found
Draft motion arguing that finding many grams of methamphetamines does not necessarily support a conviction for possession with intent to distribute. Bottom of p. 1 through p. 3 explains that people addicted to methamphetamines use more frequently and in higher dosages than first-time users, using as much as one gram per day and rarely (but […]
Amicus Brief to Exclude Drug Recognition Expert
Pages 1-4 discuss the history and development of the DRE program; pages 6-10 explain how the DRE test fails Rule of Evidence 702 because it does not assist the trier of fact to understand a fact in issue and the officers who testify about it are not qualified in the relevant field of knowledge; and […]
Brief – Other Acts Evidence – Drug Use Evidence in Drug Distribution Case
p. 22-38 discuss the use of 404(b) “other acts” evidence and why evidence of drug possession is not relevant to intent to distribute drugs. The brief goes on to outline research demonstrating that such “other acts” evidence is highly likely to improperly prejudice the jury in a way that cannot be cured by a limiting […]
Brief Arguing that the Smell of Marijuana Could Not Have Been Detected During a Traffic Stop So No Probable Cause to Search
p. 10-12 discuss a study that found that people with normal smell identification abilities could only smell a 5-pound bag of marijuana in a trunk 13% of the time, and that 10% of the time people thought they smelled marijuana when there was none. p. 12-13 argues that an officer can impermissibly taint a search by suggesting […]
Motion to Exclude Drug Recognition Expert
Overviews the history of the DRE program and the lack of scientific studies supporting DRE validity, cites studies demonstrating DRE conclusions are inaccurate and inconsistent.
