Gunter, Bennett & Anthes, P.C.

07/07/2026

My daughter turned 16 this week and got her driver's license. As her father — and as a criminal defense attorney — that milestone hit differently.

Most new drivers don't realize how fast a routine traffic stop can escalate. A minor violation, a nervous response, a search they didn't know they could refuse. I've seen it turn into serious criminal charges more times than I can count.

Our new blog post covers everything a teen driver (and their parents) should know: how Texas law works during a traffic stop, what officers are looking for, and exactly how to handle yourself if you get pulled over.

Read it here: https://gbafirm.com/advice-for-new-drivers/

If a traffic stop has already led to charges for someone you know, call GBA Firm. We defend these cases across Texas.

My Daughter Just Got Her License — A Texas Defense Attorney’s Honest Advice for New Drivers 1. The Story: A Milestone That Got Me Thinking My daughter turned 16 this week. She passed her driver’s license test. I am proud of her. I am also a criminal defense attorney who has spent years in Texa...

07/02/2026

Well, let’s hope she takes after her mom and not me when it comes to accidents and tickets. At least she knows a good lawyer….Happy Birthday Taylor!

06/29/2026

Your ChatGPT history is not private. In a recent federal arson trial, prosecutors used a defendant's AI chatbot logs as evidence of intent. The case ended in a mistrial on June 26, 2026. Meanwhile, a Western District of Texas case shows the flip side: a confidential informant's deepfake helped indict an innocent person.

Here is the hard legal reality. There is no "AI privilege." Courts treat your AI chats like emails and texts. They are discoverable. They can be subpoenaed. And convincing deepfakes can slip past old authentication habits.

At GBA Firm, we defend Texans against exactly this kind of digital evidence. We attack authentication under Texas Rule 901. We retain forensic experts. We protect your Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. If AI is shaping your case, get a defense team that understands it.

Read our full breakdown and protect your future. https://gbafirm.com/when-ai-becomes-evidence/

06/25/2026

The Constitution promises you a lawyer if you're arrested and can't afford one. It does not promise that lawyer will have time for you.

KXAN reported this week (June 24, 2026) that Travis County's public defender shortage has been "years in the making" — with attorney caseloads climbing past what national standards consider sustainable. That gap between the right on paper and the resources in the building lands hardest on the people who can least afford it.

Most folks don't know where the right to counsel comes from (Gideon v. Wainwright), what it actually requires (effective counsel, not just any counsel), or why an overloaded lawyer rarely becomes a clean ground for appeal. We break it down — and explain the practical questions every defendant should be asking, whether their lawyer is appointed or retained.

Read the full analysis on our blog. https://gbafirm.com/travis_county_public_defender/

06/24/2026

Well, I guess if you’re going to accidentally text the wrong person about drug use it’s probably better to text your attorney by accident….I won’t say which one of my clients this is but I will say this client follows our IG. To that client: Dude! Come on! I already got you out of one case! Quit while you’re ahead or move to Colorado. Wait….on second thought, don’t do either…I have daughters to put thru college. You do you!

06/24/2026

Two Texas inmates, identical sentences, sentenced the same day — yet one walks out years before the other. The reason is often a single statute almost no one outside the system knows: Section 508.149 of the Texas Government Code.

It decides who is "ineligible" for "mandatory supervision" — the calendar-and-credit release that's supposed to be automatic. But for a long list of serious offenses (and any judgment with a deadly-weapon finding), that automatic door never opens. And even for those who qualify, a parole panel can still hold them back on public-safety grounds.

If your family is asking "when can he come home?", the answer often starts here. Our latest post breaks down how 508.149 shapes parole, release, and revocation across Texas — and why the offense on the judgment matters more than most people realize.

Read the full breakdown 👉https://gbafirm.com/mandatory-supervision-eligibility-shapes-parole-and-revocation/

06/23/2026

"No Refusal" weekends are back in Austin. From June 19 through July 6, the Austin Police Department is increasing DWI patrols and putting a judge on standby to sign blood-draw warrants for drivers who decline a breath or blood test.

Here's what most people don't realize: during these initiatives, refusing the test usually won't stop the blood draw—police can get a warrant—and the refusal itself can cost you your license for 180 days through a separate administrative process.

But a blood result is not a conviction. The stop, the warrant affidavit, the chain of custody, and the lab science can all be challenged. Knowing your rights BEFORE the lights come on is the best protection there is.

We broke down exactly how Texas implied-consent and No Refusal law works—and where these cases tend to fall apart. Read the full analysis: https://gbafirm.com/no-refusal-dwi-weekend/

Austin “No Refusal” DWI Weekends: The Consequences of Refusing a Blood Test 1. The Story: What Happened? From June 19 through July 6, 2026, the Austin Police Department is running a “DWI Enforcement and No Refusal Initiative” across Travis County in the run-up to the Fourth of July. APD says...

06/19/2026

A Collin County jury just found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder — 35 years for the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet. The case hinged on one of the most misunderstood areas of Texas law: self-defense.

Here's the hard truth Texans need to know: self-defense isn't about who started it. It's about whether your response was *reasonable and proportional* to the threat. Meeting a shove with deadly force is exactly where these claims tend to fall apart — and a single fact, like carrying a knife, can reframe an entire case.

We break down what the verdict means, how Texas categorizes murder vs. manslaughter, and what every Texan should understand about their right to self-defense. 👇

https://gbafirm.com/karmelo-anthony/

A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for the 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco ISD track meet. The verdict — reached after about three hours of deliberation — turned on a question that comes up in courtroo...

06/12/2026

That was a fun little trial! Jury was only out for 5 minutes and came back with a not guilty!

06/10/2026

https://gbafirm.com/official-oppression-in-texas-the-cedar-park-case-and-what-it-means-for-your-rights/

What Is Official Oppression in Texas? The Cedar Park Case and What It Means for Your Rights Most people never hear the term “official oppression” until a high-profile case makes the news. When it does, the allegations often involve something more than ordinary misconduct. These cases center on o...