When, if ever, can the government effectively prevent a criminal defendant from using their legitimate assets to hire a lawyer? That's the fundamental question that the Supreme Court confronts in Luis v. United States--a question that implicates the integrity of the criminal justice system. The Court should squarely hold that the government cannot "freeze" legitimate assets a defendant needs to hire the advocate he or she believes will best represent them at trial, simply because there is probable cause to believe that the defendant has committed a crime. In 2012, the federal government charged Sila Luis with conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud. The scope of the alleged fraud was...
↧