10 Ways To Fight and Beat California DUI Charges
Individuals who are facing DUI charges confront very serious consequences, including the possibility of losing their driving privileges, being thrown behind bars, having to pay a large fine and having to comply with court restrictions. To avoid these negative consequences, it is important that they lodge a viable defense with an experienced DUI attorney. The applicability of a defense depends...
Infographic – What it means to Legalize Marijuana with Prop 64?
Coming Tuesday (November 8, 2016), Californians will vote on Proposition 61 to legalize marijuana. Polls predict that this proposition will pass.
It would legalize limited marijuana possession and consumption for adults 21 or older and allow personal cultivation of up to six plants. The proposition would establish a Bureau of Marijuana Control to regulate the commercial marketplace for pot....
10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About DUI In California
Drunk Driving (DUI) Charges are criminal charges that can result in misdemeanor or felony convictions depending on the circumstances.California prosecutes drunk driving under two different criminal statutes.The most common charge for DUI is under California Vehicle Code Section 23152(b). This code section makes...
Criminal Justice Reform Events that are Occurring in California
Proposed Legislation and California Department of Justice Respond to Demands for Police Transparency
The “Black Lives Matter” Movement Comes to Sacramento, California
On September 2, 2015 members of the Black Lives Matter movement staged a “die in” protest, laying down outside the office of California Governor Jerry Brown. Other protestors stood upright, chanting “black lives matter” while...
Years of Faulty Forensic Science on Hair Samples Plagues Criminal Justice System
An Innocent Man Released
Mr. Kirk Odom
In 2012, after 22 years in prison, Kirk L. Odom walked out of a Washington D.C. courthouse an innocent man. A jury found Mr. Odom’s guilty of a rape and robbery of a woman in 1981. Judge Herbert B. Dixon of the D.C. Superior Court cited new DNA evidence as part of the basis for Mr. Odom’s exoneration.
Forensic Science: Both the Solution and the Problem
On...
California’s “Yes Means Yes” Law
California Universities To Apply “Yes Means Yes” Rule in Disciplinary Hearings
Public Concern About Rape On College Campuses
College rape cases have been making headlines across the country. A common theme in these cases is criticism of college administration for failing to take the complaints of alleged victims seriously. In response to these criticisms, Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a...
Whether hosts of drinking parties could be held liable under new California laws?
The California Supreme Court is considering whether the hosts of drinking parties where there is a cover charge are considered sellers of alcohol, who aren’t entitled to immunity for serving alcohol to drunk guests.
The court will consider the issue in the case of Jessica Manosa, who was 20 in 2007 when she decided to throw a party at an unoccupied rental parent owned by her parents. She...
Hit and Run – Leaving the scene of an accident
If you leave the scene of an accident, even if you did not cause the accident, you may be charged with a misdemeanor or felony if a person or animal was injured or property was damaged. The type of charge depends on the circumstances, on whether a person or animal was seriously injured, and on whether previous similar convictions exist. If you leave the scene of an accident and an injured...
How to seal and destroy an arrest record in California!
Under California law, a person may only be able to seal and destroy an arrest record if
1) he was arrested and not convicted and
2) must be factually innocent of the criminal charges.
The petitioner in such cases asks the court to make a finding that the defendant is factually innocent of the charges for which he is arrested.
California Penal Code 851.8.(a) states “In any case where a person...