MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Welcome to the latest edition of the Criminal Law Journal. This issue includes an important piece on the intersection between criminal law and dependency law. The article is written from the perspective of a longtime public defender, who is now a judge in dependency court. It offers insight on how attorneys can better serve their clients who have cases in both criminal and dependency court. This article is significant for us as criminal law practitioners and as community members because it gives practical guidance for how we can help parents who are often struggling with addiction, homelessness and mental health issues to navigate their court cases while reunifying and healing their families.

The next article, the Grand Prize winner of this year’s Marshall M. Schulman Student Writing Competition, offers a glimpse into the world of child pornography and some of the search and seizure issues that arise in these cases. Many users of child pornography websites use software that allows them to anonymously access child pornography websites making it difficult for law enforcement to detect and prosecute them. This interesting article discusses the legal challenges posed by new technology and whether warrants granted in these cases and upheld under the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule went too far, setting dangerous legal precedent.

I trust you will enjoy this edition of the Criminal Law Journal and encourage you to keep your eye out for what we have to offer next.

Karlene Navarro
Chair, Criminal Law Section Executive Committee