Lanease D. Fuller Law Offices
Criminal Law Newsletter
PERJURY
 
A person commits the offense of perjury when he or she, with the intent to deceive and with the knowledge of a statement's meaning, makes a false statement under oath or swears to the truth of a false statement that was previously made, which statement was required or authorized to be made under oath.More...
 
DEFENSE OF A THIRD PERSON
 
A defendant is entitled to use force or deadly force against another person in order to protect a third person from the other person. The defendant must show that he or she reasonably believed that the use of force was necessary to protect the third person. More...
 
Witnesses and Confidential or Classified Information
 
Prosecutions involving issues of war, national security or espionage may involve witness testimony and classified information. Classified information is defined as information that should not be disclosed to the public because of the sensitivity of the information or the source from which the information was derived. Prosecutors and defense attorneys should avoid divulging classified information during the witness's testimony. Under the Classified Information Procedures Act, the attorneys are to avoid any unnecessary or inadvertent disclosure of classified information. More...
 
JURY INSTRUCTIONS ON DEFENSE THEORIES
 
If requested by a defendant, a trial court is required to instruct a jury on any defense theories that are raised by the evidence. The defendant may raise those theories by his or her testimony alone. Also, the defendant is entitled to jury instructions on his or her affirmative defenses. The defendant's affirmative defenses do not need to be strong or to be uncontradicted in order for the defendant to be entitled to jury instructions on his or her affirmative defenses. The trial court is required to instruct the jury on the defendant's affirmative defenses, even if the trial court does not find that the affirmative defenses are credible or believable.More...
 
Motion for an Acquittal
 
After a defendant is convicted, he may file a motion for an acquittal. An acquittal is a formal certification of innocence or a finding of not guilty. Typically, the basis for filing a motion for an acquittal is that the evidence does not support the verdict. More...
 
4615 Southwest Freeway Suite 820, Houston, Texas 77027
This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.