Legal Rights of Undocumented Immigrants

All individuals living in the United States including undocumented immigrants have certain U.S Constitutional rights. If you are undocumented and an Immigration agent (ICE) knocks on your door, know that you have the following rights: You do not have to open the door unless they show you that they have valid search warrant. ICE deportation…

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Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) in Maryland

When a person gets pulled over for suspicion of DUI or DWI in Maryland, the police officer will often ask them to perform a set of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), otherwise known as roadside tests.  These are divided attention tests that look at a person’s balance, coordination, and ability to follow a long series…

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Maryland Noah’s Law | Ignition Interlock Program

Noah’s Law went into effect in Maryland on October 1st of the year.  This new law was passed as a result of a fatal accident involving a Montgomery County police officer at the beginning of the year.  It has made numerous changes in the driver’s license penalties associated with Driving Under the Influence and Driving…

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Howard County DUI Checkpoints

An arrest for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Driving While Impaired by Alcohol in Howard County almost always begins with a traffic stop.  Both the Constitution of the United States and the Maryland Constitution require a police officer to have reasonable articulable suspicion that a crime (which can include a violation of the…

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Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus in Maryland

When an officer administers the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test on a driver suspected of driving while intoxicated, the driver must track a moving object (officer’s finger, pen, light, etc.) with his/her eyes while keeping his/her head stationary. The officer will watch for a wobble or jerk in the eye (nystagmus) as it follows the stimulus…

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