5 Myths About the Michael Dunn Trial for the Murder of Jordan Davis
Myth #5. The trial is a waste of taxpayer money because Dunn is already going to serve life in prison.
Michael Dunn was convicted by a jury of three counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into a occupied vehicle. Upon sentencing, Dunn faces a POTENTIAL minimum of 60 years in prison. However, these convictions are fully subject to an appeal. Michael Dunn’s appellate clock starts only after Dunn is sentenced and the judgment becomes final. Cory Strolla has indicated a desire to appeal the prior trial based on certain evidentiary and procedural rulings. Read more 
Worst of the Worst: Double Feature – Billboard AND Commercial
Courts and Sports has been keeping tabs on the worst of the worst lawyer billboards and commercials since we started this site. It is days like today that make compiling these “Worst of the Worst” lists worth it. Today, (thanks to KSR) I came across the double-whammy – a law firm with a billboard AND a commercial that both make the list for Worst of the Worst. The best part is, the billboard and commercial feature the same advertising theme – Master P. “Make ’em say UGHH!”
Utopia?: Not hardly. It’s an overcast group of people with something to sell or promote… and agents.
We wanted to take a moment and expose reality shows for the two or three people who actually still believe the lines you are fed about them. The back-stories created in Fox’s new “reality” show, Utopia, are all heavily made up and manipulated. Here is what we know.
Red Vanwinkle
Arthur Vanwinkle, aka “Red” on the series Utopia, not only has a criminal past, but a reality show past. It’s not surprising. Most “reality” show contestants find their way in through publicists or agents, other pilots or are otherwise scouring for 15 minutes of fame. He knows how to participate in a production and is hungry enough to be the “character” both shows wanted him to be. Read more
Texas Supreme Court Judge Quotes the Film “The Big Lebowski” in Decision
In her recent opinion, Texas Supreme Court justice Debra Lehrmann quoted the cult classic film, The Big Lebowski.
The Big Lebowski is a 1998 film about a white-russian and pot fueled Jeff Bridges who plays Jeffrey ‘The Dude” Lebowski. The quote used in the Texas Supreme Court opinion was taken from one of The Dude’s friends, Walter, is a gun-toting, hot headed bowling enthusiast. The quote used in the decision that came from Walter is, “The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is similarly suspicious of prior restraints.” Read more
When It Rains It Pours, UF May Receive $1.8 million Due to Rain Delay
For the University of Florida, the college football season opener against the University of Idaho started out with… Rain, lots and lots of rain. So much rain, in fact, that the game was called off after kick off due to “unsafe playing conditions.”
To the common fan, that is a big let down. You have been waiting all season to see your team play. Now you will have to wait one more week. But there is more of an issue with canceling a game than meets the eye, money, lots and lots of money. Read more
Courts and Sports – How Ray Rice Shows that Athletics and Justice Don’t Mix and Why He Has Grounds for Appeal
The NFL got exposed by TMZ. It failed to react appropriately to domestic violence and, now, has given Ray Rice grounds to appeal his new punishment. The NFL and Roger Goodell need to answer to its utter failures to regulate the violent and criminal lifestyle it condones on everyday except Sunday.
TIMELINE
Today this video was released. As a result, the Baltimore Ravens cut Ray Rice from its roster. The NFL put Rice on an indefinite suspension. But wait, let’s replay the recent events to see how we got to this point. It is very telling.
What Does ‘Justice’ Mean to You?
What does ‘justice’ mean to us?
The word ‘justice’ is more than just a word. Here at the Law Offices of John M. Phillips, we have considered the definition of ‘justice’ and strive to uphold its true meaning. So what exactly is justice? What does justice mean? Justice has only one spelling, but it is defined in a million different ways. Like a fingerprint, true justice is different to each person and unique to each scenario.
The history behind the word Justice.
To truly understand what the word ‘justice’ means, it must first be determined how the word came to be. Read more
Michael Dunn Trial Update: 2 Weeks Until Trial for Murder of Jordan Davis (Recent Filings Attached)
In February, a Florida jury found Michael Dunn guilty on four of five charges in a case in which Dunn shot ten times at a car full of teenagers over a dispute that started about loud music. However, the 12 person jury could not come to a unanimous decision on the charge of the murder of Jordan Davis and a mistrial was declared on that count alone. A retrial of that count is scheduled for September 22. Dunn faces a minimum of 60 years for the other convictions. Sentencing has been delayed until after trial has concluded. Read the Rolling Stone Story here and see their appearance on Katie Couric here. Read more
September 2, 2014: From Tears to Tear Gas
The days are often long in this job. Each day starts with goodbye kisses from my wife and son, as we all venture off to the place where we spend most of our days. For me, it requires traveling a mile down the road to the office.
September was like any day in some ways, but unlike any day on other respects. The balancing of the inbox and outboxes takes up much of the day, as well as a plethora of calls and email. I prefer email these days because it is easy to refresh my memory of promises made and owed.
Morgan & Morgan Hires Belvin Perry, Former Judge in Casey Anthony Case: Any Ethical Implications?
It is twitter official- Belvin Perry works for John Morgan and Morgan & Morgan, one of the largest personal injury firms in the world. He already has a page on Twitter which members of the Morgan family are promoting. In fact, the photo is so recent, it seems that he still wearing his judicial robe. He was rumored to be in the process of getting a court television show, but that must not have worked out. Read more
