Check out this KSTP story regarding the consolidation of most Intoxilyzer 5000 source code cases throughout the state. It continues to amaze me that prosecutors expect judges and juries to accept the results of this “mystery machine” without question. This machine (which we still know virtually nothing about) has sent thousands of people to jail [...]

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In an order  released today, the Minnesota Supreme Court consolidated all non-public defender source code cases with Judge Jerome Abrams of the First Judicial District. Judge Abrams had previously been appointed to handle all First Judicial District source code cases and has done well in that capacity, being fair to both sides in this highly [...]

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Minnesota law provides for mandatory minimum sentences for certain DWI offenses. These mandatory minimum sentences become progressively more severe based on the number of prior DWIs a person has within the previous ten years. If convicted of one of these crimes it is very difficult for an unrepresented defendant to convince the court to deviate from these required minimum sentences. However, a [...]

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SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA
David Lee Lasse v. 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
The Minnesota Supreme Court rules that the “innocent owner defense” in Minn.Stat. § 169A.63, subd. 7(d) (2008), does not apply in a case of joint ownership of a vehicle if one of the joint owners is also the offender causing forfeiture of the [...]

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A deeply divided Minnesota Supreme Court today issued a ruling in Laase v. 2007 Chevy Tahoe which allows the government to take away private property from an innocent husband or wife in DWI related cases. The decision overturns the trial and appellate courts who found that a spouse who was a named co-owner on the title of [...]

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