COPSLIE License Plate Case

Here is the decision in the New Hampshire COPSLIE license plate case,  Montenegro v. N.H. Div. of Motor Vehicles (N.H. May 7, 2014). David Montenegro may have won his case, but doesn’t he fear that cops will illegally pull him over in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights merely because they dislike his license plate, only […]

Another Soap Bust

You may have read about the Dr. Bronner’s Soap case here. Well, here is another case of the cops mistaking soap for hard-core drugs: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/16/charges-dropped-for-ny-pair-after-a-month-in-jail-when-cocaine-proves-to-be-soap/ It is almost never a good idea to consent to a search.  And friends don’t let friends drive with an open container of soap.

Radical Law Center Featured on “Lowering the Bar”

Attorney: “The Training I Received at Hustler Was Extremely Helpful” in Law School Susannah Breslin, who is a contributor at Forbes.com, has posted her interview with Dan Kapelovitz, who is currently a criminal-law attorney but previously worked at Hustler magazine. See “How A Porn Magazine Editor Became A Criminal Law Attorney,” Forbes.com (Apr. 17, 2003). According to this, that magazine has articles in […]

“Driving While Weird”

by Dan Kapelovitz On April 4, 2007, Don Bolles, the once and current drummer of the Germs, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The substance? Dr. Bronner’s Soap. Peppermint, to be exact. Bolles, 50, was driving himself and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Cat Scandal, through the clean streets of Newport Beach to an Alcoholics […]

How the California legislature defines “controlled substances”

The California Health and Safety Code defines “controlled substances” thusly: 11053. The controlled substances listed or to be listed in the schedules in this chapter are included by whatever official, common, usual, chemical, or trade name designated. 11054. (a) The controlled substances listed in this section are included in Schedule I. (b) Opiates. Unless specifically excepted or unless […]