714-997-4400Santa Clara County Judge Recall
Recalling judges is not something that happens often. In fact, it is for the most part an unheard of occurrence in California. That was until Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky gave the former Stanford University swimmer a slap on the wrist last summer for sexually assaulting a fellow classmate. It is likely […]
Prop 57: Prison Inmates Get Second Chance
“Who are you today, and is there any evidence of current violence, current unreasonable risk to public safety?” —said Jennifer Shaffer to The Los Angeles Times, executive officer of Gov. Jerry Brown’s parole commission board. Prison is about punishment, to be sure. It is also about rehabilitation in certain situations. Obviously, there are not many […]
Ignoring Mandatory Evacuation Orders Misdemeanor
It seems that every year in California brings with it longer, more intense forest fires. If you live in the areas of the state that are most often affected by these deadly fiery tempests, then you are familiar with mandatory evacuations. While most citizens choose to heed the directive to leave their home and head […]
Adoptive Forefeiture Is Back
“No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.” —5th Amendment— One step forward, two steps back is one way to describe the asset or civil forfeiture in the United States. We have written about this […]
Equity and Justice Reform Package
If you are arrested and cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. It may sound as if you are impoverished, then you are entitled to a defense, gratis. That is not what that means. In fact, those who are represented by a public defender are required to pay back the costs of […]
Proposition 66: A Court Divided
What is the appropriate punishment for murder in the United States? For the citizens of some states, including California, the answer to that question is the death penalty. An eye for an eye, at least in the biblical sense. The death penalty question has been hotly contested in the United States for time immemorial, but […]
Proposition 63: Surrendering Gun Magazines
Last November, Californians voted on a number of important pieces of legislation, many of which passed. But while many throughout the state have been focused on Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, there were a few other important measures that passed which gained far less attention. One such bill was Proposition 63, […]
Drugged Driving Mouth Swab
If someone drives under the influence of alcohol, and gets stopped—it can be life-altering. Police officers who suspect a driver has had too much to drink will typically call for a field sobriety test to determine if one’s motor skills are abnormal. Depending how that test goes, said officers will often ask drivers in question […]
UC Berkeley New Dean of Law
The University of California, Berkeley, is arguably one the top colleges in the world. Of late, however, it has been embroiled in a free speech debate over allowing guest speakers like former Breitbart senior editor Milo Yiannopoulos stemming back to earlier this year. The irony about many Berkeley students taking up arms (verbally) about certain […]