The Medlin Law Firm - Gary Medlin
Prescription Drugs & Drug DWI Charges In Dallas
TL;DR: Texas DWI law applies to any substance that causes loss of normal use of your mental or physical faculties, including medication you took exactly as prescribed. The charge is not automatic proof of impairment, and a prescription is not an automatic defense. The State must prove that your faculties were actually impaired at the time of driving, not simply that a detectable level of the drug was in your blood. Where that proof is weak, challenged, or unreliable, the defense starts. Why A Prescription Doesn't Automatically Beat A Drug DWI In Texas Under Tex. Penal Code § 49.04, a [...]
Second & Third DWI: The Path To Felony Charges
TL;DR: In Texas, a second DWI is a Class A misdemeanor with a mandatory 30-day jail minimum. A third DWI becomes a third-degree felony under Tex. Penal Code § 49.09, carrying 2 to 10 years in prison. Prior convictions have no lookback period and follow you regardless of how long ago they occurred. Deferred adjudication is not available for a second or subsequent DWI in Texas. If you are facing a second or third DWI in Dallas, you already know this is serious. The question is how much worse it is than last time and what the State plans to [...]
Challenging The Breathalyzer: Why Machines Fail
TL;DR: A breath test result in Texas is evidence, not a conviction. The Intoxilyzer 9000 depends on calibration records, operator certification, a proper 20-minute observation period, and a scientific assumption about your physiology that is not universal. Medical conditions, environmental interference, and procedural failures can all produce a number that does not accurately reflect your BAC at the time of driving. Whether any of those factors apply in your case depends on records that are obtainable through discovery. How The Intoxilyzer 9000 Works & Where It Goes Wrong The Intoxilyzer 9000 does not measure alcohol in your blood directly. It [...]
Which Texas Gangs Pose The Greatest Threat?
TL;DR: Texas officials have used “greatest threat” as a statewide intelligence ranking, not a simple list of the “worst gangs.” In the public 2018 Texas Gang Threat Assessment, DPS identified Tango Blast, Texas Mexican Mafia, MS-13, and Barrio Azteca as Tier 1 gangs, but also warned that statewide rankings do not automatically describe the threat in every community. In court, the bigger question is whether the State can prove the elements of Chapter 71 and a qualifying underlying offense. If you came here looking for a “top gangs in Texas” list, start with one correction. Texas officials do not treat [...]
When Can The President Of The United States Grant A Pardon?
TL;DR: The President of the United States can grant a pardon for a federal offense before charges are filed, after charges are filed, after conviction, after sentencing, or even after the sentence has been completed. The biggest limits are just as important as the timing. A presidential pardon applies only to federal offenses, not state crimes, and it cannot be used in cases of impeachment. A pardon also does not erase the conviction from the record. If someone is still serving a sentence, the more relevant form of clemency may be a commutation, not a pardon. When The US President [...]
Texas Driver’s License Suspension: What You Need To Know
TL;DR: A Texas driver’s license can be suspended, revoked, canceled, denied, or blocked for different reasons, and the reason controls what happens next. Common triggers include DWI-related enforcement, test refusal or failure, no-insurance crash suspensions, driving while license invalid, child support revocation, and out-of-state holds. The most useful first step is to check your Texas driver license eligibility status, because the record will show what action is in place and what must be cleared before you can get back to eligible status. A license problem usually gets worse when someone treats every suspension the same. A DWI-based suspension does [...]
Most Dangerous Cities In Texas In 2026
TL;DR: If you want the short version, Houston and Beaumont sit near the top among larger Texas cities when you compare violent crime rates using the latest comparable 2024 city-level data. Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Amarillo, Dallas, San Antonio, Pasadena, Killeen, and Arlington also post elevated rates. If you are comparing places side by side, start with violent crimes per 100,000 residents, not raw totals alone. Texas DPS explains that crime rate is what allows more consistent comparisons among agencies of different sizes. If you are trying to compare Texas cities, start with the numbers, not the reputation. A city can [...]
What To Expect If Never Troubled Before, First-Time Offense?
If you have never been arrested or charged with a crime in Texas, getting pulled into the criminal justice system can feel unreal. One moment you are living your normal life, and the next you are in the back of a squad car, trying to figure out what to do and how to make it stop. At The Medlin Law Firm, we help Texans protect their rights and futures when the stakes are high. The biggest theme we hear from first-time clients is not just fear. It is overwhelm. It is the feeling that you have no control [...]
The History Of Miranda Rights In Texas Cases
TL;DR: The Miranda warning did not come from television. It came from a 1966 Supreme Court decision requiring procedural safeguards before custodial interrogation. In Texas, Miranda issues often connect to Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 38.22 and 38.23, which govern when statements may be used and when illegally obtained evidence may be excluded. A missed warning can matter, but it does not automatically make a case disappear. The Miranda warning is one of the most quoted lines in American criminal law, but most people learn it backwards. They hear the words on television and assume police must say them the [...]
What Happens When A Texas Teacher Has Sex With A Student?
TL;DR: A Texas teacher-student sex case is not defined by pregnancy or headlines. The core legal question is usually whether the facts fit Tex. Penal Code § 21.12, improper relationship between educator and student, or a more serious charge such as sexual assault of a child. In Texas, § 21.12 is generally a second-degree felony, and TEA or SBEC discipline can move forward even while the criminal case is still developing. The student’s age matters, but in many educator cases, student status matters just as much. If you searched this because of a headline, start here. Pregnancy is not a [...]
