Well, according to the Federal Government, Mel isn't the only misdemeanant entitled to a fresh start. They're even helping a few lucky former criminals erase their criminal records in California's Santa Clara County.

The county's Public Defender's office reports they have received over a hundred thousand dollars in federal stimulus money to help non-violent and other criminals "get back to work and on with their lives".

Applying for work or residence in today's climate is difficult at best, but trying to pass muster with a criminal record puts you well behind other candidates. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced expungement attorney, you can level the playing field.

Unless you were charged or reside in Santa Clara, you're not eligible for the "Fresh Start" program. You can, however, still get your criminal record cleared like Mel's. Your best bet is to hire someone, as Mel did, who knows how to argue for it. Under California law, judges have the option to clear a criminal record and terminate probabation if certain conditions are met and a skillful argument is made by the convicted.

This serves to pave the way to a brighter and more secure future as you, job seekers and rental applicants, no longer have to check the box next to "have you ever been convicted...?"

For help getting a fresh start of your own, contact an experienced Sacramento DUI expungement attorney at the Louder Law Group. You can find them online at www.sacdui.com or call them at (916) 492-1800. Free consultations are available.

In a ruling late last week, the California Supreme Court found that California drunk-driving defendants are now entitled to challenge blood-alcohol findings based on the inaccuracy of breathalyzer results. This ruling effectively weakens many prosecutorial cases by allowing the DUI defense to "rebut the presumption that he was under the influence".

Following recent rulings in other states, the California Supreme Court found the formula for converting breath to blood-alcohol levels to be inaccurate in many cases. Factors including medical condition, gender, temperature, the condition of the device itself, even atmospheric conditions may all be taken into account when defending against a drunk-driving charge.

Under current California law, a suspected drunk-driver is required to submit either a blood test, which measures the amount of alcohol in the blood, or a breathalyzer test (refusal can result in automatic suspension of driving privileges). Alcohol levels in a breath sample are converted mathematically to determine BAC. In California, a person is legally too drunk to drive when his/her blood-alcohol level is 0.08% or higher.

"The question is whether a defendant who has a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more measured by breath is entitled to rebut that presumption that he was under the influence" Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote. The court's answer to that question was an overwhelming "Yes".

"Evidence casting doubt on the accuracy of the breath-to-blood conversion ratio is just as relevant as other evidence rebutting the presumption of intoxication from a breath test result, such as evidence that the defendant had a high tolerance for alcohol or performed well in field sobriety testing," Corrigan also wrote.

To determine whether this new ruling could impact the outcome of your drunk-driving case, consult an experienced DUI attorney.

Questions about this article or its contents may be directed to the Louder Law Group, Sacramento DUI Attorneys, at 916-492-1800 or via email.

More on the ruling:

Calif. high court: Breath test accuracy can vary
Courts Rule Breathalyzer Tests Can Be Challenged

Calif. Supreme Court Says Breathalyzer Tests Unreliable