Criminal Penalties for Marijuana in Minnesota Update: As of August 1, 2023, possession of up to 2 oz. of marijuana for personal use is legal in Minnesota. As a result, some of the following information may be inaccurate. For more information on the updated marijuana...
Assault in Minnesota
Posted: November 16, 2015 Welcome back to the Sieben Edmunds PLLC Criminal Defense Blog Series! In our second installment we will take a closer look at assault and domestic assault crimes in Minnesota. These are serious charges that are very fact specific. Read...
Vehicle Accidents in Minnesota
We are quickly approaching the end of 2015. Where did time go? Like it or not, we are headed into busier schedules and colder weather. These finals months are filled with holiday cheer, shopping trips, and holiday plans with friends and family. Most people will get to...
What happens when I am charged with a crime?
Posted: November 5, 2015 Welcome to the first installment of the Sieben Edmunds PLLC Criminal Defense Blog Series! This blog post will focus on what happens in a typical criminal case. Types of Offenses The process that occurs after being charged with a crime can vary...
Court of Appeals Finds Minnesota’s DWI Test Refusal Law Unconstitutional
Posted: October 13, 2015 Just moments ago, the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued its decision in State v. Trahan. The court determined that prosecuting a driver for test refusal violates the constitutional right to due process of law when a blood test was refused. The...
S|E DWI Blog #10 – Remote Electronic Alcohol Monitoring
Posted: October 11, 2015 Technological advances have made the imposition of conditions of release and sentencing more flexible. In a DWI case, a judge may order a defendant to comply with certain conditions during pretrial release or as part of sentencing. A common...
S|E DWI Blog #9 – DWI Aggravating Factors
Posted: October 8, 2015 In Minnesota there are varying degrees of driving while impaired (DWI) offenses. An individual can be charged with a DWI for operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration that is .08 or over. If “aggravating factors” are present, then...
Help! I’m in custody–DWI Conditional Release
If you’re in custody for a DWI, one thing you’re probably thinking is “How do I get out of jail?!” A judge can consider a number of factors before releasing you from custody. The court must set bail or impose conditions of release that you must follow while your case...
S|E DWI Blog #7 – Underage drinking & driving in Minnesota
Posted: September 18, 2015 Underage drinking is a nationwide problem that can lead to devastating consequences. According to the Mayo Clinic, underage drinking often leads to alcohol-related accidents, increased sexual activity, problems at school, alcoholism, and an...
S|E DWI Blog #6 – Limited Licenses
Posted: September 15, 2015 Commuting to work, dropping children off at school, and running errands are daily occurrences in most people's lives. Without a license, accomplishing these tasks can be incredibly difficult. Fortunately, there is an option for getting your...
S|E DWI Blog #5 – Minnesota Ignition Interlock Program
Posted: September 10, 2015 One of the consequences of getting a DWI is losing your driving privileges. Most people are drastically unprepared to lose their license. Daily obligations continue after a DWI; people still need to commute to work or drop children off at...
S|E DWI Blog #4 – DWI Defenses – A Primer
Posted: September 1, 2015 We'll continue our discussion of DWI defenses in this week's Sieben|Edmunds DWI Blog series. In our last blog post, we discussed the affirmative defense of necessity. The governor and legislature responded to Axelberg by permitting the...
S|E DWI Blog #3 – DWI Necessity Defense in License Revocation Challenges
Posted: August 25, 2015 The Sieben Edmunds DWI Blog Series is back at it again! In our third installment, we’ll talk about the DWI necessity defense. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, necessity is “a justification defense for a person who acts in an emergency that...
S|E DWI Blog #2 – DWI Vehicle Forfeiture Option for Innocent Owners
Posted: August 13, 2015 Welcome to the second installment of the Sieben Edmunds DWI Blog Series! We'll take a closer look at what an innocent owner, who did not commit a DWI offense, can do to get their vehicle back after it has been seized. The state is permitted to...
S|E DWI Blog #1 – Harsher DWI penalties went into effect on August 1, 2015
Posted: August 6, 2015 Welcome to the first installment of the Sieben Edmunds DWI Blog Series! We'll explore various aspects of DWI law in Minnesota in a series of weekly posts. Think twice before drinking and getting behind the wheel after August 1, 2015. The...
EDMUNDS NAMED BOARD CERTIFIED CRIMINAL LAW SPECIALIST
The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) has announced that Samuel J. Edmunds has been named a MSBA Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist. This certification program is administered by the MSBA and approved by the State Board of Legal Certification. To become a...
New Expungement Law Benefits #2-3: Follow Up and Legal Remedy
Prior to the new law, if you received an expungement order, the law enforcement agencies had 60 days to comply. They didn’t have to tell the court they did it, and they certainly didn’t have to tell you that they completed the action. Now, under the new law, you can...
New Expungement Law Benefit #1: No Petition
The current law requires that you file a lengthy petition which includes all your previous addresses, a statement about why you are requesting an expungement, and many more details about the offense or offenses you are trying to expunge. (For the complete list of...