Author Archives: Alan F. Pendleton, "Of Counsel" Martine Law Firm, Director of Mentorship & Education, Former District Court Judge

SEARCH OF CELL PHONES – LANDMARK SUPREME COURT DECISION (14-11)

search cell phoneQUESTION: After arresting a suspect, can law enforcement search the suspect’s cell phone incident to arrest without first obtaining a search warrant?

ANSWER NO! On June 25, 2014, in a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court in Riley v. California, 573 U.S. _______ (2014), unanimously held that the search incident to arrest exception does not extend to a cell phone and that the warrantless search of digital contents of a cell phone during an arrest is unconstitutional.

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PendletonUpdate14-11

FIFTEEN JUDICIAL TRAINING UPDATES NEW JUDGES SHOULD USE IN COURT (14-10)

judge and computer in courtCOMMON AND  RECURRING JUDICIAL MISTAKES:  Judicial mistakes that trigger appeals often occur as a result of judicial omission or failure to make a proper record. Many of these common judicial errors tend to recur with every new generation of judges.

UPDATES DESIGNED FOR USE IN COURT: There have been 75 judicial training updates issued to date. Fifteen of those updates (listed below) were written for new judges to use in court to assist them in making a proper record. The hope is to eliminate or reduce the number of appeals that occur as a result of these recurring judicial errors (especially among our newest generation of judges).

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https://pendletonupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/judicial-training-update-14-10.docx

MINNESOTA HANDBOOK ON MOTOR VEHICLE STOPS & WARRANTLESS SEARCHES (14-09)

Minnesota Handbook on Motor Vehicle Stops and Warrantless SearchesWHAT IS THE HANDBOOK? The Handbook is designed to provide judges, attorneys and law enforcement officers with a comprehensive reference guide to the laws governing motor vehicle stops and the seven (7) exceptions to the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement under which warrantless searches of motor vehicles may be justified. The Handbook is broken down into the following chapters:

  1. Motor Vehicle Stops;
  2. Search Incident to Arrest;
  3. Plain View Seizure of Evidence;
  4. Probable Cause Search for Evidence;
  5. Inventory Search;
  6. Protective Weapons Search;
  7. Consent Search;
  8. Medical Emergency Search;
  9. Overview.

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https://pendletonupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/handbook-on-motor-vehicle-stops-warrantless-searches.docx

CROSS-EXAMINATION: Judicial Checklist For Use In Mentoring Attorneys (14-08)

CROSS EXAMINATION: Most lawyers do a good job in their opening statements, direct examinations, and closing argument, but never learn the art of cross-examination. Cross-examination has been called the ultimate test of the litigator’s skill. Judges, because of their training and experience, are in a unique position to mentor and guide young trial attorneys in many aspects of effective trial advocacy.

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Pendleton Update 14-8

 

HANDLING YOUR FIRST ELECTRONIC (paperless) CALENDAR – 10 SIMPLE STEPS TO FOLLOW (14-06)

HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATION: The Minnesota Judiciary is in the midst of one of the most innovative transitions in the history of the state court system. We are well on the way to becoming one of the first state court systems in the country to successfully transition from a paper file courtroom environment to an electronic (paperless) courtroom environment.

MAKING THE TRANSITION: Many judges have already successfully made the transition, but many others (myself included) are still in the early stages of the transition. Personally, this has been a challenging change to make. As I have worked through this process I found the attached 10-step checklist helpful. The purpose for this update is to share this 10-step checklist with other judges that (like me) are trying to manage the transition to an electronic courtroom environment.

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Pendleton Update 14-6