If you’re an American with a TV, you may be misinformed about the types of trials in our country and the world at large. Popular shows featuring dramatic courtroom clashes almost always depict a trial by jury. But if you look past the Hollywood hype, you’ll notice an entirely different style of trial; one that [...]

A synthetic opioid epidemic sweeps across the nation, extinguishing nearly 150 lives each day. Fentanyl, responsible for a tragically high number of these overdose deaths, is the leading killer. Although the crisis is clearly dire, there is still cause for hope; the combined forces of the CDC, local law enforcement, and powerful politicians are deeply [...]

Whether you’re a long time Judge Judy devotee, a crime drama addict, or simply someone who overheard a legal case on the news, you’ve likely heard the term Burden Of Proof before. But what does the phrase mean, and where does it fit into our legal system? If you’re looking for answers, you’ve come to [...]

Tasteful spray paint art is a sight to behold. In the skillful hands of visionaries who see entire cities as canvases, simple spray cans can breathe life and color into barren buildings, creating unlikely masterpieces out of brick and mortar. Sadly, there is a darker, criminal side to this unique, transformational form of art. When [...]

Over the last month, Catanzaro Law has explored clemency and its various manifestations in the U.S. legal system. Pardons, commutations, and reprieves have all been used throughout U.S. history to grant some level of leniency to criminals ready for reform. But what do these processes look like to the layperson? How can a criminal apply [...]

Human law is subject to the flaws of human reason, and practitioners of law, no matter how experienced, make mistakes. When a hasty trial or a questionable verdict is passed, it is sometimes possible for a defendant to appeal for clemency in the form of a reprieve. Particularly popularized for postponing the dates of death [...]

The tension between constructive and destructive punishment is an ever present reality in the legal system. Is the aim to condemn and punish poor behavior with no intention of reform, or to guide lawbreakers into a redemptive, productive future? At its best, clemency is an effort to tip the scales in the latter direction, aimed [...]

For a country with such an intricate system of checks and balances designed to neutralize undue power, the existence of an executive pardon power may seem odd; it may even seem archaic. But things aren’t always what they seem, and there’s more to this fascinating form of clemency than first meets the eye. Curious about [...]

Immeasurable amounts of time, money and effort have been poured into the creation and implementation of laws at the city, state and federal levels. In legal matters, there’s truly nothing that hasn’t been considered; the severity of punishment for a crime is anything but arbitrary. However, there will always be controversy surrounding criminal matters, their [...]