Law With Mr. Lafayette

Sunday, December 7, 1941 shortly before 8 AM is when the air forces of imperial Japan committed a sneak attack on American forces located at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian islands. More than a military disaster for America the events of that morning prompted a nation to leave the comfort of isolationism, and in short order become not only a world power, but a superpower. The impact of that day, 82 y...

Lawyer, county prosecutor, state, legislator, state, appeals, court, justice, and the first woman appointed associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sandra Day O’Connor had a full life that was a positive contribution to not only American history, but also American jurisprudence. In this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, Her contributions are remembered.

The sharing of exculpatory evidence often referred to as Brady material after the Landmark case Brady v. Maryland (1963), holds immense importance in the American legal system. The role of such material, and why it must be presented promptly and transparently by prosecutors to defense attorneys is explained in this episode of “Law With Mr. Lafayette.”

What are the best authorities to cite? Primary or secondary? What role do persuasive or mandatory authorities play? These are some issues addressed in this episode of “Law With Mr. Lafayette.”

November 22-25,1963 spanned Friday through Monday. It saw the assassination of the President and the live television broadcast of the assassin’s murder. A television first. Meanwhile Americans of all political parties and those with none sat riveted in front of their television sets as the solemn pageantry of a state funeral unfolded. From the arrival of the casket, young widow and new President a...

What role do legal reasoning, writing and communication play within the legal system? These issues are discussed in this episode of “Law With Mr. Lafayette.”

In this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, René Lafayette, who teaches Street and Practical Law at leominster High School in Leominster Massachusetts discusses common mistakes that are made in legal writing. Although this episode is intended for his students, other listeners may also benefit from the insight provided about mistakes to be avoided.

23 February 2020 was the day in question. Ahmaud Arbery, a 25 year old Black male had gone for a run. He would not return home. Instead, Arbery would be hunted down by three white men and ultimately killed by three shotgun blasts. In this episode Mr. Lafayette reviews “Nowhere to Run” a 20/20 ABC documentary that is based on the comments of his family and friends.

The opening salvo of this conflict are discussed in this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette.

The first Monday in October which this year is going to be October 2, 2023 marks the beginning of the Supreme Court’s new term. It will run from October 2 until the first Monday in October of the following year. It will be interesting to see what cases will be coming before the court During this timeframe and what the court will decide regarding those cases stay tuned.

Monday, September 11, 2023 will be the twenty second anniversary of the terrorist on America. On what was a brilliant morning four planes took off only to be highjacked and then crash. Three hit targets, the fourth crashed in a field. The impact of that day continues to be felt throughout America today. 9/11 truly has changed the trajectory of this nation.

On September 7 of 2023 the defense team of Dick Harpootlian, and Jim Griffin, filed a request for a new trial on behalf of their client, disbarred, disgraced and convicted, former lawyer, Alex Murdaugh. They cites Rebecca Hill, who is the Clerk of the Court for Colleton County and charge her with jury tampering and attempting to convince the jury to convict murder on quickly in the six week trial...

Arguably the biggest social media platform in the world, TikTok is controlled by Communist China and poses a multi part threat to America today. In this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette this phenomenon is discussed along with its repercussions.

On July 10, the trial judge who presided over the double murder case against Emmanuel Lopes declared a mistrial because of a lone juror who held out against finding Lopes guilty of the 2018 murder of Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna and 77 year old Vera Adams. Was it a mistrial or a miscarriage of justice?

In this episode, René Lafayette reviews some of the major decisions that the Court issued in late June before the Court adjourned until the October 2023 Term begins in October.

A reflection on the great nation we are proud to be citizens of…America!

In this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, a few of the courts decisions that were released on the last day of the Supreme Court’s term, that took place on Friday, June 30, 2023. A more detailed review of decisions and highlights of the Scotus term will be released in the next few days.

First, Vladimir Putin announces that he has transferred “tactical nuclear weapons” to Byleorus. This is a threat to Europe, NATO and the United States. Then China and Cuba have agreed to China establishing an eavesdropping facility in Cuba. Its target is the Southeastern United States. In this episode René Lafayette offers a serious review of both issues.

June 6, 2023 was the 79th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. From five beaches in Normandy, France Americans at Omaha and Utah beaches, the British at Gold and Sword and the Canadians at Juno took on Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall.” It was in September 1991 that René Lafayette visited the American military cemetery at Colleville Sur Mer. In this episode Mr. Lafayette remembers...

Associate Justice Samuel Alito of the United States Supreme Court in an interview published in the Wall Street Journal, has shared that he is pretty certain that he knows who leaked the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Medical Center decision in advance of its June 24, 2022 publication. Additionally, Alito questions the targeting of the six members of the High Court, who voted for Dobbs overturning Roe v....

In this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, we take a different tact and discuss proms and their role in high school society today and other related topics, including the the costs associated with proms proper attire at a prom venues, and finally whether or not proms will continue as a social event in the future. I am joined by Kayleigh Lefrançois, who is one of my law students and together we disc...

In this the second of two episodes dealing with the case of Rhode IslandIsland v. Craig Price, more details are provided as to the chronology of events taking place after the arrest of Price in 1989 for the murder of four of his neighbors in the Buttonwoods neighborhood of Warwick, Rhode Island.

Craig Price was only 13 when he committed his first murder in 1987. Two years later at the age of 15 he committed three additional murders. This particular case is among those the most horrific to have taken place in the state of Rhode Island. It t is a case that I am familiar with since in my previous capacity as High Sheriff of Providence County I had met Price. I was responsible for courtroom s...

21 year old Jack Douglas Teixiera from North Dighton, Massachusetts was arrested earlier this month and on April 26, during a detention hearing in Federal District Court in Worcester, he is facing the possibility that he will be held until his trial. In this episode of Law With Mr. Lafayette, the specifics are revealed and shared with you.

On April 27, 2023, Brian Walshe was arraigned for the murder of his wife, Ana Walshe in the early hours of January 1, 2023 in their rented home in Cohasset Massachusetts. At his arraignment, the district attorneys office presented information that Walshe believed that his wife was involved in an adulterous relationship with a male friend in or about Washington DC. Ana Walshe had bought a home in W...