How does jury selection work in the state of Maine? Does our system consistently give us fair and impartial juries? In this video founding partner Devens Hamlen takes a look at some of these important questions that have a huge impact on jury trials.
In today’s video blog post, Devens Hamlen discusses a very recent case that brought up important questions about how much of a role race plays in a jury’s decisions. Watch the video to learn more.
Jumping off from Devens Hamlen’s post on Tuesday, HOW DO POLICE DASHBOARD CAMERAS EFFECT MAINE?, today Merritt Heminway continues the discussion of the relationship between police officers and the citizens of Maine.
As the police forces around the country are increasingly becoming “militarized” in terms of equipment, this is an important conversation to have. What is it that we want from our police? What is their fundamental role? What should that relationship with the citizenry look like?
Watch the video to learn what Heminway has to say.
Dashboard cameras in police cruisers have gained more and more popularity in our country, and are common in the the state of Maine. As a criminal defense attorneys, we think this is a positive step for policing.
Watch the video to learn why.
In today’s video we wrap up our discussion of the iPhone case that was brought to the forefront of our nation’s attention after the shooting in San Bernardino, California. This case hits on a wide variety of important question about our right to privacy and how much control the federal government should have over private businesses.
Watch the video to lean more.
In today’s post, defense attorney Merritt Heminway continues his discussion of the virtues of a fully funded public defenders office in the state of Maine, and how we treat those who can not afford a lawyer can tell us a lot about ourselves as a society.
If you missed the first part, you can find it here: THE LATEST ON AN OFFICE OF PUBLIC DEFENDER IN MAINE
Now that LD 1433, a proposed bill to create an Office of Public Defenders in Maine, is dead, where is the state of Maine with regard to defending those who are too poor to afford an attorney? LD 1433 was a deeply flawed bill, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a large problem to overcome.
In today’s video founding Partner Merritt Heminway talks about the current state of affairs.
In today’s video founding partner Devens Hamlen talks again about heroin addiction in Maine. Recently the Governor of Maine has proposed a bill that would limit the amount of opioids that doctors can proscribe. Hamlen’s take on the matter is that doctors know more about medicine than legislators, and this proposed approach is misguided.
Watch the video to learn more.
Many people are wondering why the Apple iPhone case is such a big deal. From the beginning the government was saying they needed access to just the one phone, but is that the case?
Watch the video to learn why this might be a slippery slope. Devens Hamlen has first-hand experience with phone encryption cases, one of his cases set the precedent in the state of Maine.
In a recent case in our office, attorney Devens Hamlen faced the issue of a phone locked with a passcode. He successfully argued that a passcode, which is generated from the mind, is different from a piece of physical evidence, like a finger print or retina scan.
In today’s video Devens talks more about how that distinction can play out in other real world cases. To learn more about this case, watch Can Your Phone Be Used Against You As Evidence?