Christian Peterson Attorney at Law

02/22/2019

Want proof that bail and public safety are NOT connected? “1750 additional defendants were released without bail, with no increase in recidivism.”

Krasner said his decision to stop seeking bail for certain crimes has been a major force driving a decline in the jail population.

02/21/2019

This case is HUGE. Within a few years I expect that civil asset forfeiture will be a thing of the past.

The Supreme Court ruled that state and local governments cannot impose excessive court fees, fines and forfeitures as a means of raising money.

02/20/2019

I’m so happy to see a bill to end this practice of funding the court system on the backs of our poorest citizens. The mandatory surcharge on all court fines ($75 per ticket) is often larger than the fine imposed (usually under $50 for most citations). It cannot be waived by the court currently and it cannot be converted to community service hours for those who cannot afford it. The result is that the court suspends driver’s licenses and the poorest defendants have to break the law to continue to drive to work to support their family and pay these fees. It makes no sense! Please pass this bill Minnesota!

There was love as well as bipartisanship reform in the air Thursday at the State Office Building in St. Paul. I saw it with my own eyes. In the midst of the Valentine’s Day card- and gift-giv…

02/19/2019

I have a client that we kept out of prison due to his phenomenal efforts at sobriety who will be on probation until he is 80 years old. Is there any legitimate reason why he needed a 40 year probation term? Often defendants get dropped to unsupervised probation after only a year or so even in serious cases. So why keep them on paper?

Draconian sentencing in state is the target of move to wipe out disparities.

02/18/2019

Newest review on Avvo.com. I’m so blessed to do what I do.

“I hired Christian upon finding myself in need of a criminal defense attorney. Now, with my case resolved, I can honestly say that you would be hard-pressed to find better legal representation. I was facing two assault charges while already on probation, so it goes without saying that I was in quite the bind. From start-to-finish, Christian demonstrated nothing but the highest levels of professionalism, legal knowledge, and overall competence. Equally, you could not ask for a more personable and congenial lawyer by your side, especially in such a difficult time. We had several court appearances spanning across several months, throughout the duration of which Christian always took the time to address any questions/concerns I may have. When everything was said and done, Christian pulled-off what I call an absolute miracle: he got my assault charges dismissed, ensured I serve no jail-time, and made sure that this entire ordeal would not violate my probation. Ultimately, he saved my future, as serving jail-time and/or time on house arrest would have gotten me fired from my job and/or expelled from my university. If I could give more than "5-Stars" I surely would, because it would be the understatement of the decade to say that he is the one of the top defense attorneys out here.”

02/15/2019

Just an FYI, these tests reveal very little about your ancestry. With this information in hand there is very little reason to use them.

FamilyTreeDNA has given the FBI virtually unlimited access to a treasure trove of genetic data.

02/14/2019

Minnesota’s parole hearing system isn’t much better than Missouri’s. A parole hearing is not in front of a judge. It is in front of a parole board made up of correctional staff. You have a right to an attorney, but largely the staff talk to themselves and just follow their own internal recommendations. There is no real “hearing” per se. Most inmates describe it as a kangaroo court.

Missouri lawsuit says that the state’s parole process puts too many people back behind bars.

02/12/2019

I’m not saying that opioid injection sites are the greatest thing to have in society. But it’s a hell of a lot better than people dying on the street.

The civil lawsuit is the first time the federal government has intervened in the hotly debated issue of supervised injection sites, providing what may become an important legal test case as cities across the country consider similar proposals.

02/11/2019

Judge Burke is one of the good ones. His opinion on how to reduce racial disparity in criminal justice is spot on

This is a problem for which all leaders in the criminal-justice system bear responsibility.

02/07/2019

The traffic code is so voluminous that an officer can literally pull you over for anything they want. The problem is that police are often only pulling people over because of the color of their skin, using minor equipment violations as their excuse. I’ve been arguing for years that if you want to reduce the disproportionate amount of traffic stops on people of color, you need to eliminate the ability of police to make traffic stops for minor equipment violations. Police can still ticket for these things, but only pull people over for driving conduct.

A recent report in Minneapolis found racial disparities in the stops. But police leaders say such enforcement is integral to removing drugs and guns from the streets.

02/06/2019

Apart from political ideologies, I am still waiting for politicians to realize that it costs much less to invest in drug and mental health treatment, specialty courts, public defenders, and decriminalization than it costs to fund more police and more jails by several orders of magnitude. It’s just that the later is much more politically popular.

The aims of conservatism and a vigorous defense of the Sixth Amendment nestle together like peas in a pod.