Happy Mother's Day from the Goolsby Law Firm!

[Mother's Day depiction from connect-in.com]

"A Mother's Day Memory"

          By Richard Goolsby

Oh, to think of Mother's hug,
Evokes a sentimental tear!
My heart strings pull and tug,
As Mother's Day draws near!

When I was young and ill,
She would rock me through the night.
That old rocker squeaked and squealed,
But still, she held me tight.

I can feel her arms around me,
As she held me late one night.
I can feel her love surround me,
Mother's love makes most things right.

I can see her -- just above me,
I can hear her voice, so clear,
And the words to "Jesus Loves Me,"
From her lips down to my ear.

Yes, it's true -- my mother's gone,
But it's also true, you see,
My mother still lives on,
In my heart and memory!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms "out there!"

Goolsby Brag Board: S.C. Law Practice!

I hope that the followers of this blog, written by an Augusta, Georgia criminal lawyer, (and former federal prosecutor), don't get too tired of reading posts about our lawyers' successes! I have one more accomplishment to boast about today!

Today, we learned that both my sons, Ric and Blake, with whom I practice law have passed the South Carolina Bar Exam, (and on their first attempt, too)! Of course, they already were licensed to practice law, here, in the State of Georgia. But now, we will be able to help clients with legal matters in BOTH states!

Since Augusta, GA is close to the state boundary with South Carolina, it made sense for us to be able to handle cases in both states. And now, we will!

Naturally, I am a very proud, fortunate father to have the opportunity to practice law with my two sons! And I can't wait until my third son, Zachary, graduates from law school and joins us in just a year! So, now you can see why we are so happy today at the Goolsby Law Firm! This is an accomplishment worth bragging about!

My Take on the Atlanta Public School Cheating Scandal

I would imagine that most of you are aware that, in the past week, a total of 35 Atlanta area public school teachers and school officials have been arrested in connection with the law enforcement probe of alleged cheating by teachers on standardized tests, which led to inflated student test scores in various Atlanta public schools.

Look, I am quite sure that we can all agree that such cheating is wrong! There's no room for debate about that! But here is my take on this prosecution -- and you may or may not agree with me!

First of all, I acknowledge that, presently, I am a criminal defense lawyer  in Augusta, Georgia. I proudly defend folks accused of crimes. But even as a former career prosecutor, both state and federal, I would never have made this into a criminal case. In my opinion, such cheating by teachers should be a firing offense, but not a criminal offense!

My teacher friends tell me that our entire school system is a mess. No Child Left Behind has put tremendous pressure on teachers to focus their efforts on test-taking and test performance, rather than on teaching the little urchins how to read and write! It is no wonder that some teachers will feel pressured to fudge on scores.

Again, I am not saying we should reward cheaters! That is not my point! All I am saying is that we shouldn't be trying to put them in prison, either! In short, again, this cheating, in my opinion, should be a firing offense and not a criminal offense!

What do you think?

The Goolsby Law Firm, LLC: Meet the Lawyers!

As you may know, we are the Goolsby Law Firm, LLC, which is composed of father and son attorneys who enjoy practicing law together in Augusta, Georgia. But we also enjoy having fun together, as shown in the top photograph of me and my three sons on a recent hiking trip in the Georgia mountains! The second photo shows my second son, Blake, following his recent swearing in at the Augusta courthouse! I feel very blessed to get to practice law with my sons, and to share good, practical tips and information in this blog for you to discuss with your own criminal lawyer!

Churches, Copper Thefts, and Hot Places in Hades

We have discussed before in this blog about the problems of vandalism and thefts from churches, along with the exploding copper theft epidemic. This past week, both problems intersected. As reported by various news agencies, someone stole part of the copper roof and gutters from the Palisades Community Church in Washington, D.C., (not pictured above).

As a former federal prosecutor, (and currently, as an Augusta, Georgia criminal defense lawyer), here's hoping that D.C. police catch the crooks responsible for this theft. Here's also hoping that there is a "special" place in Hades for anyone who would steal from a church! 

What do you think?

Legal Question of the Day: Is Use of Drones to Kill American Citizens Okay?

[Drone Photo from telegraph.co.uk]

So, here is the "legal question of the day:" Do you believe that using unmanned drones to kill American citizens, on U.S. soil, who are suspected of terrorist activities would be legal?

The Attorney General, Eric Holder, has stated his opinion that such an action would be legal and justified. On the other hand, yesterday and last night, U.S. Senator Rand Paul, during a thirteen hour-long filibuster of the confirmation of John Brennan as C.I.A. Director, countered that such strikes would violate our Constitution.

Who is right? What do you think?

The Government, Peanut Butter, and Jam

[Peanut Pic from wikipedia]

Did you hear the news? According to various news reports, last week, the government indicted four former employees of the Peanut Corporation of America, including its former president, Stewart Parnell, for allegedly conspiring to sell tainted peanut products. The criminal charges reportedly center around allegations that salmonella-tainted peanut products were sold as a result of poor, unsanitary conditions at the company's Georgia peanut plant.

You will recall that the plant was shut down, and a massive peanut butter recall occurred last year, reportedly after nine people died and hundreds got sick around the country. Now, this federal criminal indictment follows.

What do you think will come of all this? Will the government get convictions? Frankly, as a former federal prosecutor for over 20 years, I don't know. I can't predict. In other words, it is difficult to predict whether the government can prove the requisite mens rea, or criminal intent. While the government may be able to prove negligence by plant operators, that may not be enough. Put another way, I believe the government will be required to show, at trial, that the defendants knowingly, or intentionally, sold tainted products. And that would be a tall order, don't you agree?

Isn't it more likely that, even assuming these folks may have been (grossly) negligent, they never intended to harm anyone? Of course, we don't know all the facts and all the defendants are entitled to their day in court.

But, in short, in my opinion, if the government cannot prove intent, the government's peanut butter indictment may be in a jam!