Persons accused of a felony in Texas have a right to be indicted by a grand jury. A grand jury is comprised of residents of the jurisdiction where the alleged criminal event occurred. Their sole purpose is to evaluate criminal accusations and decide whether there is enough evidence for the district to prosecute. Grand jury […]
Title 3, Chapter 12, of the Texas Penal Code addresses punishment ranges for individuals found guilty of a crime. Section 12.01 states, “A person adjudged guilty of an offense under this code shall be punished in accordance with this chapter and the Code of Criminal Procedure.” Criminal offenses are either designated as a misdemeanor or […]
The right to keep and bear arms is enshrined and enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. The Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The Supreme Court of the United States further explained the […]
Texas is one of the few community property jurisdictions in the United States. This means that most property acquired during a marriage, by either spouse, is considered owned equally by the spouses and divided accordingly. So, what is the definition of community property? The Texas Family Code defines it in Chapter 3 Sec. 3.002 as […]
Its election season again, so here is some history on the evolution of voting rights. Originally, the United States Constitution shed very little light on voting and voting rights. The powers and prohibitions of The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, only applied to the federal government. So, state governments […]
Here is a simple breakdown of Texas courts and the types of issues they have jurisdiction over. Think about the judicial system as a pyramid, the lower-level courts provide the foundation for the pyramid, and the Supreme Court, or courts, make up the pinnacle. All the other courts fall in between. In Texas, the base […]
