U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Jay S. Bybee, a George W. Bush appointee, and Stephen Reinhardt, appointed by President Carter, are expressing their frustrations in a California Supreme Court ruling that would allow a state prisoner to challenge his detention in federal court. The case, Freddy Curial v.…
Earlier this month, the news broke that two years after Eric Garner’s chokehold death went viral on the internet, the only person heading to jail is the man who filmed it, Ramsey Orta. This makes him the only person at the scene of Garner’s death who will serve jail time.…
It has already been reported several times that Prop 47 may be affecting crime rates in the state, but the state’s most damning evidence was just recently released. According to the state’s attorney general’s most recent report, the number of violent crimes jumped 10% across California last year, reversing several…
In 1993, California man William Richards was convicted and sentenced to 25 years for killing his wife Pamela. During the 23 years he spent behind bars, Mr. Richards has always maintained his innocence. For years San Diego-based California Innocence Project lawyers and California Western School of Law students worked to…
Andrew Kornfeld, the son of the California addiction specialist who was hired to treat the late singer Prince, could face criminal charges for possessing a prescription drug (Suboxene), which is used to help kick opiate addiction. Kornfeld was at Prince’s estate when the singer was found dead in an elevator.…
While the act of being homeless itself is not an official crime, many cities have begun dealing with the issue of homelessness by way of “neutral” laws that criminalize the poor or discourage them from camping out on city streets. Over the past several years San Diego has been no…
In lieu of the national outrage over the seemingly light sentence of Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, the state of California has just proposed a bill which would mandate a minimum sentence of three years for crimes of sexual assault. The legislation, Assembly Bill 2888, was introduced by Democratic Assemblymen…
Last month, California lawmakers proposed a new law that would allow people who spot a dog (and presumably any animal) left in a hot car to legally smash the window out to rescue it. Assembly Bill 797, “The Right to Rescue Act,” was drafted by Assemblymembers Marc Steinorth of Rancho…
As a reaction to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, the state of Louisiana has just enacted a controversial “Blue Lives Matter” law (HB 953), which would make police officers and other ‘public safety’ workers a special protected class under hate-crime law. In other words, it is now a ‘hate crime’…
In the ongoing saga of the Malheur wildlife refuge occupation in Oregon, defense lawyers for Ammon Bundy and his crew are generally concerned that the jury will not be impartial. Prior to this, they have also accused federal judge Jennifer Navarro in Nevada of being biased and have tried to…