Newsletters

Presenting and Objecting to Evidence

In order for a court to consider evidence presented in a case, the evidence must be properly presented to the court for admission. Presentation of evidence may be undertaken in a variety of ways.

Witnesses and Confidential or Classified Information

Prosecutions involving issues of war, national security or espionage may involve witness testimony and classified information. Classified information is defined as information that should not be disclosed to the public because of the sensitivity of the information or the source from which the information was derived. Prosecutors and defense attorneys should avoid divulging classified information during the witness's testimony. Under the Classified Information Procedures Act, the attorneys are to avoid any unnecessary or inadvertent disclosure of classified information.

OBTAINING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES BY FRAUD

A person commits an offense when he or she acquires, obtains, or attempts to obtain possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, or forgery. The person obtains a controlled substance by fraud when the person forges or alters a prescription for the controlled substance.

FEDERAL LAWS REGARDING HOSTAGE-TAKING

Although the policy of the federal government is that most hostage-taking offenses within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States should be handled by state and local authorities, there are situations in which the federal government may be involved in prosecuting such offenses. These situations include the taking of a federal official or an international guest as a hostage, a demand against the United States regarding the hostage-taking, or when international terrorists are the perpetrators.

BIGAMY

A person commits the offense of bigamy when he or she is legally married and when he or she marries or purports to marry another person, who is not his or her spouse. A person also commits the offense of bigamy when he or she is not legally married and when he or she marries or purports to marry another person who is legally married.