Fraud Blocker Montreal Self Defense Lawyer Blog, Criminal Lawyer | Ginzburg Legal

24/7

Reach us anytime

514.710.6749

Call Us For A Consultation

 

Blog

Police Can’t Erase Your Phone’s Pictures

A recent Quebec Court decision has stated that police officers cannot ask citizens to erase photos on their phones which capture the officers on duty. This adds to the notion that, fundamentally speaking, filming police officers on duty is completely legal. I wrote about this in a previous post. The officers may, under certain conditions, request that you put away your cell phone, but they simply cannot take your cell phone, without warrant, to verify its content and delete certain images. In fact, the Commissaire à la déontologie policière has recently released a statement confirming this policy....

Continue reading

Travelling With a Criminal Record

travelling with criminal record

It's no secret. A criminal record can have a serious impact on your job, your immigration status, not to mention your personal and family life. For many people, one of the most problematic results of a criminal record is a travel restriction. Here are some brief and general guidelines on the matter. General factors to consider Needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. One very important factor is the degree of seriousness of the crimes for which you were convicted. Many offenses are considered to be fairly light, like impaired driving or disorderly conduct, and generally cause no problems at the border....

Continue reading

Werner Herzog’s Into The Abyss

into the abyss

As far as documentaries on criminal justice go, Werner Herzog's Into The Abyss is definitely one of my favorites. Known for his explorations of dark subject matter, the iconic German filmmaker tackles the very difficult issue of death through the lens of a triple homicide case in Texas. Shot within eight days of death row inmate Michael Perry's scheduled execution, the film manages to remain completely impartial, casting no judgment and making no assumptions. Instead, it masterfully explores the human psyche in trying to understand not only why people kill, but also why the state kills. Through his candid and deadpan interviews...

Continue reading

Abolishing “Zombie Laws” in the Criminal Code

zombie laws

In a move that was many years in the making, the Liberal government has finally taken steps to remove a number of outdated laws from the Criminal Code, also known as zombie laws. Of course, the term has nothing to do with The Walking Dead. Rather, it refers to laws that have been struck down as unconstitutional by the courts and yet never scrubbed from the Criminal Code. They're technically dead, but just like zombies, they still roam the land. The truth is that our criminal code is a 125 year-old document which has been overhauled only once, and that was back in...

Continue reading

Time: The Kalief Browder Story

criminal law

Following the success of crime documentaries like Making A Murderer and The Jinx, comes yet another extremely powerful, socially poignant series. Time: The Kalief Browder Story is a six-part mini-documentary dealing with a tragic case of wrongful imprisonment and the profound impact it had on a Bronx teenager. Arrested at 16 for allegedly stealing a backpack, unable to make bail, and held due to a prior offense, Browder spent three years at (the notoriously brutal) Rikers Island prison facility. Nearly two thirds of his time was spent in solitary confinement. He was violently beaten and abused by both inmates and guards. And the...

Continue reading

District Attorney Fired by Trump for Upholding the Law

People who choose to work in the legal field usually have a very strong affinity for not only the law itself, but also for the rule of law. That is, they understand that our society functions on the basis of laws, rather than arbitrary power and chaos. Any attorney being sworn in to his provincial or state Bar must swear an oath to uphold this fundamental principle. Sally Yates is a lawyer. And until very recently, she was the United States Attorney General. As acting D.A, her job was essentially to counsel the President on the legality of his orders through...

Continue reading

The Textalyzer: a 21st century Breathalyzer

It's no real secret, texting and driving has become almost as (if not even more) prevalent than drinking and driving. While similar in nature, they both seem to stand on opposite ends of a spectrum. Socially speaking, texting and driving is generally considered to be harmless and somewhat acceptable while drinking and driving is now almost unanimously stigmatized. And legally speaking, texting and driving has much less weight than drinking and driving does. In fact, it isn't even a criminal infraction. So while a standard DUI can land you up to 5 years in jail, here in Quebec texting and driving will only result...

Continue reading
Call now/Appelle maintenant