Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Defending Charges Of Defamation
It was a riveting case: Amber Heard had written and published an article about having survived the abuse of an unnamed individual. Having recently been married to Johnny Depp, it wasn’t difficult for some people to connect the dots. Depp immediately sued for defamation, asking for $50 million in damages. His claim was that… Read More »
The “Debt To Prison” Pipeline
A debtor’s prison is fictional these days, right? Something from older, crueler times that we did away with long ago in this country? While that’s what many Americans may believe, the truth is that people in the United States face prison due to unpaid debt at alarming rates today, in the enlightened era of… Read More »
The Criminal Legal System Is Less Than Just When It Comes To Black People
In discussion of reforms to the criminal “justice” system, the tendency to insert the word “legal” in place of “justice” is becoming more and more common. The reasons are pretty clear: justice is often lacking in the legal system that handles criminal matters. Case in point: Black people. A Little History… When one considers… Read More »
Urban Alchemy: A Way To Transform Troubled Communities
Every urban city has certain areas that are generally known to be worth avoiding. Police do occasional sweeps, moving homeless people out temporarily, making arrests for vagrancy, public intoxication, and sometimes more violent crimes. San Francisco and other cities are taking a new approach to helping fractured communities heal and grow. It involves nearly… Read More »
Transgender Individuals Who Are Not Protected By Law Enforcement
The statistics tell the story. One in five transgender women who are Black will be incarcerated at one time or another during their lives, a number that is radically higher than the numbers for the general population—just under seven percent. Discrimination is allegedly rampant against transgender individuals—from the profiling of sex workers and illegal… Read More »
The Supreme Court Values Timeline Over Innocence
The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a big blow to prisoners’ rights recently when the conservative majority ruled that the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), a 1996 law passed by Congress, eliminates the federal courts’ power to reverse a case in the lower courts. Justice Thomas, who wrote the majority opinion, concluded that… Read More »
Goals For Criminal Defense Lawyers
When you’re facing criminal charges, you want an attorney by your side who is principled and willing to fight for the best possible outcomes. At Lobo Law, our clients can expect us to go to bat on your behalf with several key principles guiding our actions: Treating every defendant with respect and dignity, and… Read More »
Defending Against Child Abuse Charges
If you have been accused of child abuse here in Clark County, you are in the center of a highly charged criminal case that is sizzling with emotion. Child abuse is a societal taboo that brings out the claws in a community, pressuring prosecutors to throw the book at the accused. These kinds of… Read More »
Gender Bias In The Criminal Justice System
When it comes to the federal justice system, there is no question about bias. Sentencing is 63 percent longer for men than for women under similar circumstances. Additionally, women enjoy a likelihood of avoiding charges and incarceration altogether at twice the rate of their male counterparts. This results in roughly ten times more men… Read More »
Defending Charges Of Perjury
Most people have watched enough courtroom drama on television to know that perjury is a crime that generally boils down to lying under oath. Perjury charges can be made against someone who employs false statements in a courtroom, to government agencies, grand juries, and Congressional hearings. The specifics of federal law are significantly more… Read More »
