U.S. Executions at 13 Year Low

According to a report issued today by the Death Penalty Information Center, the number of executions carried out in the United States in 2007 reached a 13 year low. The Death Penalty Information Center reported that 42 executions were carried out in 2007 compared to 53 in 2006. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, the highest number of executions occurred in 1998 when 98 executions were carried out. The Death Penalty Information Center also reported that 110 death sentences were imposed in 2007, the lowest number since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

The report from the Death Penalty Information Center attributes the drop in the number of executions to a case pending before the United States Supreme Court, Baze v. Rees 07-5439, a Kentucky case in which the Supreme Court will consider whether the death penalty in Kentucky violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The lawyers in Baze argue that the way the death penalty in Kentucky is carried out, as well and many other states, constitutes cruel and unusual punishment because the first of three drugs injected does not render the inmate unconscious, thereby causing them to suffer excruciating pain when the heart stopping drugs are injected afterwards. Since the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear the Baze case, the court has stayed executions in at least 8 states pending a decision on the Baze case.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Drug Charges Dismissed - Effective Cross Examination

At Grand and Central, aggressive cross examination of the police by Chicago criminal defense attorney John Ioakimidis, of Legal Defenders, PC., resulted in a finding of no probable cause and the case was dismissed. The client was originally charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver.

The police arrested our client after he fit a description of a person who was shooting a gun. The police then conducted a search of our client's alleged residence and found, in a shoe box, more than 40 grams of marijuana, baggies, scales and our client's ID's.

Our client was filled with joy knowing that he walked into Court facing serious felony charges and walked out a free man.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Domestic Battery Charges Dismissed

Chicago criminal defense attorney, James Dimeas, a Chicago criminal defense attorney with Legal Defenders forced the prosecutor to dismiss all domestic battery charges against a young woman after Chicago criminal defense attorney, James Dimeas, a Chicago criminal defense attorney with Legal Defenders forced the state to proceed to trial. The young woman insisted that she had been wrongly charged with committing the crime of domestic battery. When the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders forced the state to proceed to trial, the state was finally forced to admit that they could not prove their case and agreed to dismiss the charge of domestic battery. The client was relieved because prior to the case being set for trial, the state had offered the client a jail sentence in return for pleading guilty. Instead of going to jail, the young woman walked out of court a free woman thanks to the aggressive efforts of the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Federal Drug Sentencing Supreme Court Decision

On December 10, the United States Supreme Court issued a significant ruling affecting thousands of defendants convicted of possessing and selling crack cocaine. Defendants convicted of violating Federal criminal laws are subject to being sentenced according to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are a set of sentencing rules and ranges compiled by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Federal Judges are required to adhere closely to the sentencing guidelines when sentencing defendants in Federal criminal cases. For many years, judges and lawyers have complained that the Federal Sentencing Guidelines are unfair in that they punish defendants convicted of crimes involving crack much more severely than defendants with powder cocaine. The result has been a racial disparity. An example of the unfairness in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines is that the mandatory minimum sentence for an amount of crack was the same as for 100 times that amount of powder cocaine. This was commonly known as the 100:1 drug ratio. The racial disparity occurred because roughly 85% of defendants convicted of crack offenses are black whereas most defendants convicted of powder cocaine offenses are white.

The Supreme Court finally agreed with this problem with the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and ruled that Federal Judges could depart from the Guidelines and sentence defendants more fairly when dealing with crack cocaine. A few days later, the U.S. Sentencing Commission met and changed the Federal Sentencing Guidelines reducing the sentences of defendants convicted of crack offenses. The change is retroactive, meaning that after March 2008, roughly 20,000 defendants convicted of offenses involving crack will be able to petition their sentencing Judge to reduce their sentence. There are estimates that the average defendant will be able to have their sentence reduced by 27 months.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Not Guilty After Trial for Selling Unstamped Cigarettes

Chicago criminal defense attorney, James Dimeas, obtained a verdict of NOT GUILTY after a trial at 26th and California for a sandwich shop owner charged with selling unstamped cigarettes. The police had received a tip that the sandwich shop owner was selling unstamped cigarettes. They entered the sandwich shop under the guise that they were conducting a "license premises check" and observed a box containing over 200 packs of unstamped Marlboro Light Cigarettes with what appeared to be Chinese writing on the boxes. The police seized the evidence, arrested the sandwich shop owner and charged him with selling unstamped cigarettes. The case was prosecuted by the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Under intense cross examination by Chicago criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, the Chicago police officers that participated in the raid were forced to admit that they had no direct evidence proving that his client was selling the cigarettes in question. The court agreed with Chicago criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, and found the sandwich shop owner not guilty.

While the sandwich shop owner had no criminal background and was probably not facing any jail time, a conviction for selling unstamped cigarettes could have resulted in the revocation of his business license and the shutting down of his business.

Another hard fought victory for Chicago criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.