All Posts

Fifty years after it began, the War on Drugs has left America with the highest incarceration rate on the planet, appalling racial disparities, and a raging overdose crisis. It has failed by every metric – public safety, public health, fiscal responsibility, and basic decency. It’s time to end this failed war. It’s time to stop treating addiction as a moral failing and start treating it as a medical condition. It’s time to redirect our resources from punishment to prevention,

The moral and empirical case is overwhelming: solitary confinement is a cruel, costly, and unnecessary practice that belongs in the past. To continue it is to ignore both the suffering of those subjected to it and the warnings of experts, courts, and human rights bodies. We can no longer look the other way. It is time to end the torture of solitary confinement – a reform that is long overdue for a nation that calls itself free and just. The urgency of this change cannot be o

Imagine a defendant charged with a single burglary. Under Spreigl, the State can tell the jury about three uncharged burglaries from a decade ago—even if the defendant was never charged, never convicted, and denies them. That defendant is now on trial for four crimes, not one. That is Spriegl evidence in a nutshell.

We have spent over $1 trillion taxpayer dollars since 1971 on this war – and continue to burn about $47 billion every year on drug prohibition efforts – only to find drugs cheaper, stronger, and more accessible than ever. Indeed, fentanyl – the latest feared villain – is a byproduct of this failed war, flooding in to meet demand partly created by crackdowns on less-potent opioids. The bottom line is simple: doubling down on a proven failure won’t save lives.

Attorney Sarah Gad's petition to the Minnesota Supreme Court argued that this is not how appellate review is supposed to work. The circumstantial evidence standard is meant to protect defendants from exactly this kind of outcome: a conviction upheld even when the full record supports innocence. If disbelief of a defendant’s testimony can be treated as direct evidence of intent, without more, then the burden of proof is silently shifted from the State to the accused.

Because I’ve been in my clients’ shoes — chained, silenced, and left for the system to decide my fate. I know what it’s like to have nothing left but hope. And as long as I’m standing, my clients will never stand there alone

Let’s be real: the criminal justice system doesn’t play fair, especially if you’re a person of color, poor, or marginalized. People get arrested for things they didn’t do. Police lie. Prosecutors overcharge. Judges throw the book at you just because they can. And if you don’t know your rights or (how to use them) the system will eat you alive and make it impossible to get out. This guide is here to help you fight back. These are your rights, under the Constitution. Learn the

Whether you’re trying to undo a wrongful conviction, fix an unfair sentence, or move on with your life after serving your time, it’s crucial to understand which legal avenue fits your situation. If you just got convicted and believe the court made a legal mistake? File an appeal—and do it quickly. If time has passed and new information has come to light? Consider a post-conviction petition. If you’ve turned your life around and want to clear your record? Apply for a pardon.

Not every case goes to trial—but every serious criminal case hinges on what happens before trial. Knowing the difference between a Rasmussen hearing, contested omnibus hearing, and Florence hearing could be the key to protecting your rights and you.

If you're facing criminal charges in Minnesota, the court process can seem confusing. Some cases resolve in one court appearance, while others involve multiple hearings over several months. The path your case takes depends on the level of the offense: misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or felony. And if your charge is an enhanceable offense, the decisions you make now can affect your future far more than you realize.

If there’s a warrant for your arrest in Minnesota, the best move is to take control before law enforcement does. The sooner you involve an attorney, the more options you have—and the better your chances of resolving the situation without unnecessary jail time or additional charges.

Sarah took the case and reviewed everything—over 2,000 pages of discovery, hours of bodycam and surveillance footage, and every supplemental report. What she found changed everything. . . after Sarah filed the motion to dismiss, the State dropped the case in full. The murder charge was dismissed——and instead of serving a 33-year sentence, our client walked out of the Hennepin County Jail a free man.

Police at your door with a search warrant? Don’t panic—and don’t talk. At Gad & Gad Law Offices, we’ve helped countless Minnesotans whose homes, phones, and lives were turned upside down by a search warrant—only to later get their charges dismissed. The key? Knowing your rights and invoking them at the right time.

If you’ve been stopped, questioned, or asked to “just clear something up,” stop. Don’t say a word until you talk to a criminal defense attorney. This rule applies whether you’re guilty, innocent, or somewhere in between. In fact, innocent people are often the ones who talk themselves into charges. At Gad & Gad Law Offices, we’ve seen it time and again. Clients who cooperated with law enforcement thinking they had nothing to hide—only to find themselves arrested and fighting

Felonies were never meant to be this common.  Historically, felony charges were reserved for crimes punishable by death—such as murder,...

If you’ve been convicted of a crime in Minnesota, make no mistake— the game is not over.  But you only get one real shot at relief on...

If you’ve been charged with a crime in Minnesota, one of the most important decisions you’ll face is whether to take a plea deal. Prosecutors often try to get you to plead guilty early—sometimes at your very first appearance. But here’s the truth: you should never plead guilty before your omnibus hearing.

Finding out there's a warrant for your arrest can feel paralyzing. But what you do next can make the difference between walking into court with your attorney—or getting dragged into custody in front of your family, coworkers, or kids. As a Minnesota criminal defense attorney, I’ve helped hundreds of people resolve warrants. Here are the most common mistakes people make—and how to avoid them.