Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Drug Defense Attorney in Lawrenceville

Question: In the State of GA, there is a" 1st Offender Act" for a 1st time felony charge and a 1st time felony drug charge (O.C.G.A. 16-13-2 a,c). Is a Superior Court Judge permitted to use his discretion as to which drugs apply and don`t apply for a defendant asking for 1st offender treatment on a 1st time felony drug charge??
(A Superior Court Judge is said to have denied the 1st offender treatment O.C.G.A. 16-13-2 a,c- to any defendant that is charged with a 1st time felony drug charge for all other drugs EXCEPT marijuana in Henry Cty, GA) The other Henry Cty Superior Court Judges do not do this in their Court rooms with these types of cases- wouldn`t this be considered "discrimination" of some sort? This is WRONG. If anyone who is willing to take the challenge in finding an answer for this, could you please also cite the O.C.G.A. annotation(s) for this?? PLEASE? Thank You-

Answer: There is no challenge in the question. The judge has absolute discretion in granting or denying first offender, except the judge CANNOT establish a policy of never granted a particular class of offenses ineligible. So, there may be some appeal, IF you can meet the challenge of getting the money to retain an attorney. 

Answered by Lawrence Lewis - Drug Defense Attorney in Lawrenceville

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About Me

I hung a shingle in February 2000, because I saw that individuals charged with criminal offenses were being underserved by the attorneys practicing criminal law. Since February 2000, I have represented more than two thousand criminal clients. I only practice criminal law, but I do everything from violations of probation to Supreme Court appeals. There are few attorneys under the age of sixty that have my level of experience. I have tried more than two hundred major felony jury trials. I have tried more than fifty misdemeanor jury trials. In Philadelphia as a prosecutor, I tried more than two thousand bench trials. I have conducted more than three thousand preliminary hearings and bond hearings. Yet, I still have the energy at forty-five to serve my current clients. There is nothing that will occur in a courtroom that I have not experienced before. When you are looking for an attorney, experience is everything.