In United States criminal law, all crimes can be broken down into different elements. In order to convict the defendant, these elements of a crime must then be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt. Most crimes require that three essential elements...
When a lawyer uses an affirmative defense, they argue that the defendant’s guilty plea should be lesser or non-existent due to the extenuating circumstances. Even though the defendant admits their role in the crime, because of the situation they should not be held responsible for...
The word misdemeanor, if taken down to it’s roots of “mis” and “demeanor”, essentially translates to “wrong conduct or behavior”. So even by just looking at the origin of the word it is evident that while a misdemeanor isn’t tolerated behavior, it is clearly not...
In our previous two posts, we talked about how the landmark Miranda v. Arizona ruling extended the right to remain silent to all potential suspects upon arrest and interrogation outside the courtroom. Originally, however, this right was only applied through the 5th Amendment to a...
The Old Wives’ Tale—that hot weather makes people irritable and more likely to commit a crime—may just have some validity. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice gathered nationwide research and published a report in which they tracked seasonal criminal victimization trends for various violent...
Todd Coolidge, the lead criminal defense attorney at Coolidge Law Firm, has represented many homicide cases in Arizona. His experience in the courtroom and his vast knowledge of the subtleties of law mean his clients trust him to handle their case. In our previous blog...
In previous posts we’ve briefly touched on the Arizona court system and, depending on their nature, examined how cases are handled. If a defendant feels that justice was not served in the conviction of a DUI felony in Arizona, or any other crime, they can...
As a criminal defense law firm in Phoenix, we handle a variety of traffic offenses, from speeding, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, to breaking any of the many Arizona traffic laws. Phoenix is the 6th most populous city in the United States. That...
It may sound odd in the 21st century, but yes, committing adultery is still illegal under Arizona law. And for good reason. Not only is adultery emotionally damaging and harmful to our society, but the majority of Americans still think it should be considered a...
As a criminal defense attorney in Phoenix, Todd Coolidge has argued his fair share of traffic violation cases in Arizona. With open skies and freeways that are five lanes wide on each side, it’s hard not to find your foot getting a little heavy when...