Chicago Criminal Defense Lawyers
With A Reputation For Results In Tough Cases
Recently, a woman who was involved in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case several decades ago involving search and seizure law died. Her death has led to a looking back at her landmark case. The name of the case was Mapp v. Ohio, and the Supreme Court made its ruling in the case in 1961. In the case, the woman…
Thirty-two people are being charged with an array of crimes after the Chicago Police Department completed a drug raid on the West Side. According to reports, the arrests came after an almost yearlong investigation involving multiple agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration. Many of those arrested are now facing federal charges of narcotics distribution and conspiracy. According to reports, officers…
The Fourth Amendment provides certain protections to individuals when it comes to police searches and seizures. When Fourth Amendment protections are found to apply to a given search or seizure, police generally will need to comply with certain rules/procedures in order for the search/seizure to be valid. What these rules/procedures are varies depending on the situation. Now, there are some…
One of the things that evidence in a drug case sometimes comes from is a search police conducted of the suspect’s person. It is worth noting that there are multiple situations in which police are allowed to conduct a search of a person without a warrant. One of these situations is when an officer has just arrested an individual. Searches…
All too often, we hear of cases where a defendant pleads guilty to a drug charge, without first learning about the legal avenues that may have been available. At the Law Offices of Damon M. Cheronis, we understand just how much a drug charge can impact a person’s life, even after he or she has served their time and paid…
If police obtained evidence by violating a person’s Fourth Amendment rights (such as by performing an illegal search and seizure), it is possible that the evidence will be deemed off-limits for use in a criminal prosecution. This is due to the exclusionary rule, which we discussed in a post a couple months back. However, an unconstitutional action by police can…
Being accused of a crime is a serious matter. Individuals who find themselves facing criminal charges will experience a series of events that is unlike any other. The initial phase usually involves moving through the process of being booked into, and hopefully bailed out of, jail. Next, individuals focus on preparing their legal response to the charges against them, which…
A big question that some people have when they are pulled over by police is whether it is legal for police to search their vehicle or not. While there are some protections noted in the Fourth Amendment for citizens, there are some special circumstances that might mean police officers can legally search your vehicle. Do police officers always need a…
Many drug cases in Illinois find their start in a traffic stop. There are many different valid reasons for police to conduct a traffic stop on an individual. One thing, however, that one would hope would never be the reason behind a police officer deciding to pull a driver over is the driver’s race. Worryingly though, a recent study raises…
No one ever expects to get arrested and accused of drug possession in one’s own home, but it is not unheard of for police to obtain a search warrant and enter an individual’s home. Once inside, if police discover a controlled substance and any other items they suspect could be related to drugs, they will seize the items and often…