Monthly Archives: April 2020

SEARCH WARRANTS: Answers to 12 Core Questions Every Judge and Attorney Should Know (20-05)

The search warrant requirement delineated in the 4th amendment of the United States Constitution is one of our most sacred constitutional rights.

This Training Update provides answers to the following 12 core search warrant questions:

  1. What is the legal standard for issuing a search warrant?
  2. What is the standard for issuing a “no knock” warrant?
  3. What is the standard for authorizing a “nighttime search”?
  4. What kind of peace officer can execute a search warrant?
  5. What type of crime must be involved for a search warrant?
  6. Who has jurisdiction to issue a search warrant?
  7. Who must sign the application for a search warrant?
  8. Who does the judge actually issue the search warrant to?
  9. Once a search warrant is issued how quickly must it be executed?
  10. When executed who gets copies of the search warrant?
  11. Once executed what must be returned to the issuing court?
  12. What is the standard for obtaining a telephonic search warrant?

For a print ready copy of this search warrant update click here

INTRODUCTION TO MINNESOTA’S MOST CONVENIENT AND SIMPLE LEGAL RESEARCH LIBRARY (20-04)

If your looking for a “cream of the crop” legal research tool then you should buy a subscription to an expensive service like Westlaw Next or Lexus Research. But if your looking for a convenient and simple “one-stop” (and did I mention free) legal research tool then the best option for Minnesota legal practitioners is the “Minnesota Judicial Training & Education Blog”

In addition to the Blog site containing the complete repository of all past Judicial Training Updates, it is also home to the most comprehensive convenient and free legal research tool that I’ve been able to find for Minnesota legal practitioners.

This legal research site was created out of frustration with my inability to find a centralized website that could give me direct links to the legal resources that attorneys, judges and other legal practitioners use on a regular basis. I wanted simple, direct and convenient.

This Update (20-04) gives you a short introduction to this new online legal research library.

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT READY COPY OF UPDATE 20-04

JUDICIAL DECISION-MAKING FATIGUE: Can Hunger & Fatigue Affect Judicial Fairness? YES (20-03)

In a perfect world judges make decisions by applying legal analysis to the
facts of a case in a rational, fair and deliberate manner. But in the real world, judges, despite their best efforts, are often subject to the same foibles, biases and imperfections that affect everything humans do.

One of those rarely discussed factors that every judge and attorney should
be aware of is referred to as JUDICIAL DECISION FATIGUE.

Click here for a print ready copy of Update 20-03

JUDICIAL & LEGAL WRITING: The Number #1 Rule For Improvement – CUTTING (20-02)

Thomas Jefferson Verbosity

One of the most common complaints raised by judges regarding written submissions filed by attorneys, guardians, child protection workers (and others), involves an issue that is surprisingly easy to fix .

There is a myriad of publications dedicated to the improvement of legal writing. Unfortunately, you often need an English degree to understand anything past the first paragraph. There is, however, a simple way to dramatically improve any style of legal writing that has nothing to do with dangling participles or misuse of pronouns.

This Training Updates explains how to accomplish that goal.

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINT READY COPY OF UPDATE 20-02