Thanks to the hard work of criminal defense attorneys, civil rights groups and some motivated legislators, Minnesotans now no longer need to fear the troubling practice known as civil forfeiture. That’s because this past week, the governor signed a law that would eliminate civil forfeitures and require criminal convictions before a person’s property could be taken away by law enforcement authorities. Read More...

A sad case in Wisconsin reveals the alarming reality that people can be arrested and charged with drunk driving despite startlingly little evidence. In a case that a local news station spent significant resources unraveling, it appears as if a Milwaukee Sheriff’s Deputy blamed an innocent woman for drunk driving to hide the fact that he had caused a serious car accident. Read More...

DWI vs DUI are two terms that drivers across the country are familiar with. Is there a difference between these terms? In certain cases, the answer is yes. Read More...

The controversy surrounding the Minnesota “Get Out of Jail Free Cards” has continued for the past few weeks with the state attorney general and lawmakers stepping into the fray. The issue revolves around a report from a group of college students, which revealed a little-discussed provision of the Minnesota Constitution that appears to provide immunity to lawmakers from arrest, including possibly from DWIs. Read More...

The law in Minnesota says that anyone arrested for suspected drunk driving is required to submit to a breath, blood or urine test to determine their level of intoxication. This requirement is what’s known as the state’s implied consent law. So how does this law work and what are the penalties for refusing to submit to such a test? Read More...

If your license was revoked in Minnesota or you are afraid it might be, the next logical question involves how you will be able to get around and continue your life as normally as possible. The following post will explain how you might qualify for a limited license, which would allow you to continue driving under limited circumstances. Read More...

Once a driver has made been subjected to the first two stages of a DUI investigation, the initial stop and the personal contact phases, the officer will need to decide based on that evidence whether the matter should be escalated to the third and final phase of the DWI investigation: the pre-arrest stage. Read More...

We recently discussed some of the signs that police officers look for prior to making a Minnesota DWI traffic stop. Those who are out and about, especially late at night, are at risk of having some even ordinary traffic violations mistaken for indications of impairment. Simple issues like drifting around in your lane of traffic, driving too slowly or haltingly or driving without headlights on in the evening can all be seen as signs that a driver is intoxicated. Read More...

Anyone who has ever been to a bar or hung out at a party long enough is bound to hear tales from others about how a certain type of alcohol has a special or heightened affect on the drinker. Some swear that tequila makes them drunk fastest or that wine gets them slurring words more quickly than beer, etc. So is there truth to this? Do different drinks impact a person’s level of impairment? Keep reading to find out more. Read More...