High court rejects appeal over divided jury
Court Alerts
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a defendant who was convicted of attempted murder in Louisiana by a jury's 10-2 vote.
The justices acted without comment Tuesday in turning down a plea from Troy Barbour to require juries in all criminal trials to reach unanimous verdicts to convict. Two states, Louisiana and Oregon, allow defendants to be convicted of most crimes despite disagreement among jurors.
Those states rely on a nearly 40-year-old Supreme Court ruling that mandates unanimous verdicts in federal, but not state, criminal trials.
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Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.