Minnesota DWI Defense Blog

This week the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld a lifetime driving ban on a Minnesota driver who was convicted of DWI in Wisconsin. What's troubling about this situation is the fact that this driver is also being denied enrollment in the ignition interlock program for life -- something that is not typically permitted by Minnesota law. Read More

Minnesota’s laws on Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) go further than just the act of driving -- they also make it a crime to be in “physical control” of a vehicle. This means someone who is not even driving can be charged with a DWI! But is this type of law too broad to be enforceable? Read More

It rarely makes sense to hire the second best attorney for your case. The level of expertise that comes with board certification is particularly important for individuals with professional licenses, CDL drivers, or those whose driving privileges are critical to their livelihood such as pilots, doctors, and other health care providers, lawyers, those with security clearances), or if you are required to drive for your employment, travel to Canada, etc., the relief and confidence that comes with hi Read More

One of the most critical phases of a DWI trial is voir dire—jury selection. As Minnesota’s only lawyer Board-Certified in DWI Law by the American Bar Association (not MSBA), frequently consulted by other lawyers, I’m often asked to share my “standard DWI voir dire questions.” However, it’s important to understand that DWI jury selection has no universal, one-size-fits-all questions. The strategy and questions used depend on various factors unique to each case. Read More

Two Kandiyohi County deputies turned a drug test into a mini-volcano with questionable pyrotechnics and even more questionable decision-making. Is it time for them to ditch the lighter and grab a chemistry textbook? Read More

Ramsay Law got a victory in a recent case. Our client was wrongly imprisoned due to health conditions. We secured secured his release. Read More

Q: Is it a crime to drive after consuming marijuana/THC/cannabis products? A: It depends. Read More

Anyone with a test result of .10 or below could actually been below the legal limit. This also applies to those charged with being twice the legal limit (which brings significantly enhanced penalties) and commercial drivers (who face a legal limit of 0.04). Read More

How are you going to celebrate your Independence Day? Read More

This Thanksgiving season some of our current clients have a lot to celebrate: In the last month we have had three judges throw out our client’s breath test results because of our "source code" issue. Read More

It's been a few years since a manufacturing error has caused problems for blood alcohol testing in Minnesota . . . but here we are. We've been provided with what appears to be a valid recall notice for the type of tube used in Minnesota BCA testing kits. The notice is dated June 4, 2021, and impacts kits that expire in September of 2022. Read More

Does Minnesota still need so-called "whiskey plates?" Nobody seems to have a good reason for keeping them around, yet they still exist. For now. Read More

Minnesota continues to struggle over whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana. Proponents point to significant tax revenues, as well as all of the money the criminal justice system will save, while adding that the drug itself is arguably no more dangerous that alcohol. Opponents fear an increase in crime, including driving while impaired by drugs (DUID). Is that a legitimate concern? Read More

It’s easy to live in a comfortable black-and-white world until reality forces us to see the color gray. One example of our gray reality is being arrested and charged with a crime. Even the most die-hard law-and-order types, who say that if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime, will suddenly want the best lawyer money can buy if they find themselves accused of bad behavior. Now let's talk about pot. Read More

"Specialty Courts" are becoming less special and more common across Minnesota And the trend is providing a great deal of long-overdue care for our veterans. Read More

The COVID pandemic continues to impact Minnesota's criminal justice system. Sometimes in obvious ways, sometimes in ways that may surprise you. As usual, it's up to defense attorneys to make sure their clients don't get thrown under the COVID bus. Read More

There has been a certain amount of “scope creep” across years of efforts to be "tough on crime." At what point are we working too hard to undermine our constitutional right to due process, a fair trial, and being innocent until proven guilty? Read More

Good scientific practices can keep us safe, and insure the guilty are punished according to the law. Junk science, however, is what unjustly punishes the innocent and undermines our faith in the judicial system. Today, we're writing about junk science. Read More

Here in Minnesota, like the rest of the world, everyone is struggling to find the new “normal” in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Bars are opening (and closing), we’re not getting as many haircuts as we used to, and almost everyone is sporting a trendy face mask when they’re out in public. But in the rush to find a new normal, some dangerous steps are being taken. Read More

Today, the Minnesota Supreme Court determined that law enforcement cannot casually search a hotel registry to determine who is currently staying at the hotel. In a "celebrate Minnesota's freedoms" type of scenario, the Court also relied entirely on the protections in the Minnesota Constitution -- not the federal Fourth Amendment. Read More