The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 [NVRA; 42 U.S.C. §1973gg-4(a)(1)] requires states to “accept and use” a federal form to register voters. The form requires only that an applicant state under penalty of perjury that he or she is a citizen. Arizona had an additional requirement for registration officials to reject the federal form applications […]
GPS: What’s A Hardworking Robber To Do In This Electronic Age?
A victim of a robbery had a smart phone in her stolen handbag. The police located the phone at a particular intersection by “pinging” the phone’s GPS system, which the victim and owner of the cell phone authorized the police to do. Defendant was arrested within 45 minutes of the robbery. He challenged the legality of […]
Jurors Watched Movie During Death Penalty Deliberations.
In a death penalty writ of habeas corpus, the California Supreme Court considered the declaration of a juror which stated: “I told the holdout jurors that if they wanted to understand what it was like in prison, they should watch the movie American Me. That is based on a true story. [¶] Two of the jurors […]
Death Penalty By Lethal Injection “Permanently Enjoined.”
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation promulgated regulations regarding the manner in which the death penalty by lethal injection is carried out. The trial court found the regulations substantially failed to comply with the California Administrative Procedure Act [Government Code section 11340 et seq.] and invalidated the regulations in their entirety. The gist of plaintiff’s challenge […]
Court Acted Within Its Discretion In Renewing Restraining Order At The End Of Three Years.
In 2008, the superior court issued a three-year restraining order against defendant/appellant. At the end of the three years, the plaintiff/respondent requested a renewal of the restraining order, and defendant/appellant opposed the request. In 2011, the court renewed the order, this time until 2016. The appellate court affirmed the order of the trial court, noting that […]
County Not Responsible On Civil Rights Violations For Fake Letters Written By Its Employee For Personal Reasons.
A correctional officer accessed information about various jail inmates and wrote fake letters to those inmates, signing the name of another inmate who had brought a personal injury lawsuit against the correctional officer. The inmate whose name was used in the letters brought a lawsuit against the county for the actions of the correctional officer, a […]
No Qualified Immunity For Police Officer In Wrongful Death Of Suspect.
A jury found a police officer caused the wrongful death of a suspect who died “through the unconstitutional use of excessive force” while in police custody at a hospital. The appellate court analyzed: “Taken as a whole, the combined effect of [the] evidence supports a finding that Macias punched and tasered a non-resisting and compliant man […]
Officer Should Have Clarified Woman’s Chemical Test Admonition Rights.
A woman was arrested by the CHP when officers found her car stopped on a highway facing westbound in the eastbound lanes with an odor of alcohol on her breath, bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and an unsteady gait. She refused to take a breath test at the scene. At the station, she was read […]
Practice What You Preach.
Lawyer/employer who said he “handled sexual harassment cases, representing both plaintiffs and defendants, and had taught seminars on sexual harassment” was sued for sexual discrimination by an employee of law firm. Some evidence related to harassing activity outside the plaintiff’s presence. The trial court excluded the “ME TOO” evidence. The jury found for the defense […]
Shooting With Gun Instead Of Taser.
Police officer shot and killed an arrestee believing a Glock semiautomatic pistol was a stun gun. The deceased’s family filed suit under 42 U.S.C. §1983 and the trial court granted summary judgment. Both weapons were black, of similar size and weight and placed closely on the holster. Once before the fatal shooting, the officer mistakenly […]