Morganza is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. Today, it is home to a few homes and St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which had been in the area since 1759. The current church on Route 5 at the top of the hill was built in 1860 and the Morganza Post Office was established there in 1867, named after the Morgan family. The post office is now located across from Chopticon High School. Morganza was home to two public one-room school houses and the church opened a parochial school for white students in 1926 and for black children in 1927. St. Joseph's original cemetery is located at the bottom of the hill along Route 5 and for many years was forgotten under dense underbrush, but has since been cleared. The current 4-acre cemetery across from St. Joseph's was purchased in 1904.

What is criminal appeals law?

A criminal appeal is a formal request to rehear a case that has already been decided -- a request that a new court reconsider the decision of the first court. When one or both sides of a case that has already been decided think there was a mistake made at trial, they can file an appeal. An appeal is entirely different than a jury trial. There is no testimony taken. The court of appeals decides the case entirely upon the written briefs filed by your attorney and the offie of the Attorney General who represents the prosecution and asks that the conviction be upheld.

Answers to criminal appeals law issues in Maryland

After conviction and sentencing, a defendant has the opportunity to file an appeal of his sentence. If the conviction...