This is a purely educational website. Nothing here is legal advice or creates or implies an attorney-client relationship. If you have a specific legal issue, PLEASE talk to a lawyer who practices where you live—laws vary from place to place, and how they're applied varies from courthouse to courthouse. Your local county bar association can probably refer someone.
By using this site, you agree that you are awesome. Use of this site also constitutes acceptance of its
Terms of Service and Privacy Policies, which are known to medical science as a cure for insomnia.
It's best to keep all discussions in the comments. But if you really need to reach Nathan privately, go ahead and email him at n.e.burney@gmail.com. He won't mind.
THE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO LAW and the PEEKING JUSTICE logo are pretty damn cool trademarks and should probably be registered one of these days.
© Nathaniel Burney. All rights reserved, though they really open up once you get to know them.
Thanks for the useful and fascinating introduction to these legal concepts – I devoured it all in an afternoon!
Something I hadn’t noticed until now:
The double-jeopardy clause only concerns life or limb, yet in the same ammentment requires due process of law for deprivations of life, liberty, or property. This implies that you can be tried multiple times as long as there is no significant penalty (ie. life in prison or similar). This doesn’t inspire confidence.
Wait, does the Fifth Amendment make plea-bargaining unconstitutional?
>no person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on the presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury
No juries when you plea-bargain. You’re just found guilty.
Nobody forces you to take it, though. Just like you can choose to waive your rights by taking, you can waive them by accepting plea bargains.
A grand jury only indicts (with only a probable cause requirement, I believe). As I understand it, the grand jury proceedings would be all finished before any sort of plea bargaining even began.
That’s highly explicit. How exactly could people overlook it so long?