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Pat and frisk laws in Minnesota require that an officer have “reasonable, articulable suspicion” that a suspect is involved in a relevant crime in order to conduct a warrantless pat-down. Reasonable, articulable suspicion exists when an officer h…

The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently affirmed the constitutionality of Minnesota Statutes § 609.667(3), which makes it a crime to possess a firearm without a serial number, even if the gun never had one in the first place. In State v. Jones, the…

In a recent blog post, we questioned whether the court of appeals would follow the law when analyzing a Crow Wing district court order that dismissed a Minnesota felony tax crime case due to the lack of any evidence surrounding the requisite intent.…

Assaulting an officer is charged out as fourth degree assault. It starts as a gross misdemeanor offense, unless there is ‘demonstrable bodily harm,’ in which case it becomes a felony. For some reason, this term is undefined by statute, le…

If you or someone you know is facing criminal charges related to domestic violence or harassment in Minnesota, you may hear the term “relationship evidence” come up. Understanding what it means—and how it can impact a case—is crucial…

The Corpus Delicti doctrine has been foundational in Minnesota for over one hundred years. Codified in 1851, it remains an unmoving ideology that protects defendants from convictions based on uncorroborated or coerced confessions. Corpus Delicti, whi…

In criminal law, the smallest phrases can carry the largest meanings. A recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision—State v. Latino—illustrates just how impactful a few ambiguous words in a statute can be in determining guilt, eligibility for pros…

As we’ve previously discussed in a couple blog posts, the indecent exposure crime has statutory language that is vague and was applied inconsistently as a result. It left too much to interpretation by who was doing the enforcement. Minnesota co…