Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Ninth Circuit restores Trump’s control of California National Guard
Despite a brief victory for California Governor Gavin Newsom earlier in the day, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel determined that President Donald Trump could keep “federalizing” the state’s National Guard he ordered into Los Angeles during protests over ICE immigration raids. The California National Guard will remain posted at federal buildings in Los Angeles, where they have been for nearly a week since protests began.
Courthouse News Service
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Release condition banning all social media is constitutional
The Third District Court of Appeal held yesterday that an order prohibiting a man who was convicted of threatening a police officer on social media, as a condition of his supervised release from prison, from using or accessing any website that allows users to publicly share words or images on the platform is not unconstitutionally vague or overbroad.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Ex-Alabama player Kai Spears argues NYT should reveal source for ‘false’ story about shooting
Does the New York Times have to reveal its source for a story that wrongly alleged former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears was at the scene of a murder? A federal judge is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to decide if the state’s shield law protects reporters who publish stories online. “The question the judge wants answered is, does an online publication fall under the privilege?” Evans Bailey, general counsel for the Alabama Press Association, told AL.com.
AL.com
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LASD Deputy Union seeks intervention in personnel records suit
The union representing Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies wants to become a party to a lawsuit previously filed by Sheriff Robert Luna concerning subpoenas for deputy personnel records issued by the Civilian Oversight Commission. In court papers filed Friday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian in advance of a scheduled Aug. 5 hearing, attorneys for the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs maintain the organization has a stake in the outcome of the litigation.
MyNewsLA
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Judge erred in denying media access to bodycam footage
The Third District Court of Appeal held Friday that the City of Roseville must disclose to local media outlet additional audio and video recordings capturing the moments before officers fired shots at a suspect, killing a witness that the man was allegedly holding captive, finding that an exception in the California Public Records Act for “active investigations” did not allow for a delay in production due to an ongoing criminal prosecution of the hostage-taker.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Crime victim has no standing to contest lowering of charges
A crime victim has no standing to contest a judge’s lowering of a felony conviction for deprivating her of constitutional rights under color of law to a misdemeanor, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday. It rejected the contentions of a Black woman who video-recorded an arrest of her companion.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Search warrant returns will be accessible through the Superior Court of Los Angeles County’s public courthouse kiosks beginning on June 11
Beginning on Wednesday, June 11, court users will be able to view non-sealed search warrant returns on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County’s public kiosks at each of the Court’s 36 courthouse locations, streamlining a manual process that had previously required a visit to the Clerk’s Office. Court users can click on the “Find Search Warrants” link on the Criminal tile to search through non-sealed search warrant returns using the local police department number, search warrant number, or agency name.
LACourt.org News Release
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The FBI raided the wrong house. The Supreme Court says the family is allowed to sue
A family whose home was mistakenly raided in the middle of the night by the FBI eight years ago will be permitted to continue their damages lawsuit after the Supreme Court on Thursday sent their case back to a federal appeals court for additional review. The outcome represents a partial win for the family, which had been barred by lower courts from suing the government over the incident. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion for a unanimous court.
CNN
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Dismissal of action ‘without prejudice’ vacated
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday vacated an order dismissing an action against the City of Santa Barbara and others in which the plaintiffs, who are Second Amendment advocates, contest the lawfulness of their ejection from a “buy-back” event at which members of the public who surrendered “guns” and were given gift certificates, arguing that they had a right to be present and challenge the legitimacy of the program.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Ninth Circuit declines to adopt interpretation that could reign-in prisoner lawsuits
A rule stripping indigent prisoners of the ability to file lawsuits from prison free from cost if they have filed three or more previous cases that were found to be frivolous, malicious, or failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted will not be triggered by any voluntarily dismissals by the inmate, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held yesterday.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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L.A. City Council aide put on unpaid leave following arrest at anti-ICE protest
An aide to Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has been placed on unpaid leave after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon at an anti-ICE protest, Jurado and her staff said Monday. Luz Aguilar, 26, who serves as Jurado's deputy for economic innovation and community growth, was arrested around 7 p.m. Sunday and booked several hours later, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department inmate records.
Los Angeles Times
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Union leader faces federal charge of conspiracy to impede an officer during L.A. ICE raids
Federal authorities on Monday charged David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to impede an officer in connection with his alleged actions during an immigration enforcement raid last week. Huerta, 58, had been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles since Friday and made his initial appearance in federal court Monday afternoon.
Los Angeles Times
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District Attorney Hochman announces charges tied to immigration protests
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced today that more than a dozen people have been charged with various crimes, including assaulting peace officers, grand theft and vandalism during the immigration protests in Downtown Los Angeles over the past several days. “I fiercely support the right to peacefully protest and to free speech, but my office will also fiercely prosecute those who decide to cross a line into criminal conduct,” District Attorney Hochman said.
L.A. District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Federal complaints charge SoCal residents with assault, throwing molotov cocktails at officers during recent civil unrest
Two Los Angeles County men - one of them an illegal alien - have been charged via federal criminal complaints with possessing Molotov cocktails during the recent civil unrest in downtown Los Angeles and Paramount stemming from protests against federal immigration enforcement operations, the Justice Department announced today. Both defendants are in custody. Quiogue was ordered detained at his initial court appearance on Tuesday.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Man arrested for handing out face shields to ‘rioters’ at L.A. protest
Federal authorities arrested a man in East Los Angeles on Thursday who allegedly handed out face shields during an immigration protest. His arrest sparked a backlash from local residents. FBI agents took Alejandro Theodoro Orellana into custody for allegedly “distributing face shields to suspected rioters” on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X, along with broadcast video of a man handing out gear to protesters from the back of a pickup truck.
KTLA
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Homeland Security identifies convicted felons arrested during L.A. immigration raids
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday identified nine men with criminal records in the United States who were arrested on Monday and Tuesday during immigration raids in Los Angeles. The DHS said those arrested include a convicted murderer, a pedophile and drug traffickers. “These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect. How much longer will Governor Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass continue to prioritize these criminal illegal aliens over their own citizens?” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
KTLA
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Some far-left groups have encouraged peaceful protests to turn violent experts say
It was approaching nightfall in Los Angeles on Sunday when black-clad demonstrators began to torch a row of self-driving Waymo taxis. Within minutes, videos of the fiery scenes began to pop up on social media. “MORE. MORE AND MORE AND MORE,” a group known as Unity of Fields posted on X, along with a video of the flaming vehicles. The post wasn’t an anomaly. Since the start of the demonstrations against immigration raids in Los Angeles, the Unity of Fields X account has been pumping out messages urging people to wreak havoc in the streets and “give 'em hell.”
NBC News
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Protesters or agitators: Who is driving chaos at L.A. immigration protests?
Police Chief Jim McDonnell has drawn a distinction between protesters and masked "anarchists" who, he said, were bent on exploiting the state of unrest to vandalize property and attack police. "When I look at the people who are out there doing the violence, that's not the people that we see here in the day who are out there legitimately exercising their 1st Amendment rights," McDonnell said Sunday.
Los Angeles Times
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California looters now face 'hard-charging' consequences after blue state abandoned soft-on-crime approach
Amid the continuing unrest and flash mob-style looting incidents in Los Angeles, California is making a significant pivot toward tougher criminal enforcement. Criminal defense attorney David Wohl told Fox News Digital that the legal consequences are no longer a slap on the wrist for looters following the reversal of Proposition 47, which notably did not criminalize theft under $950.
Fox News
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L.A. law enforcement leaders walk tightrope amid immigration crackdown
While publicly chastising groups protesting immigration raids, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has offered support to officers in his Latino-majority department who may have mixed feelings about the Trump administration‘s crackdown. In a department-wide missive sent out earlier this week as protests ramped up, McDonnell acknowledged some officers were “facing criticism from the community or wrestling with the personal impact” of recent events and needed support.
Los Angeles Times
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Hegseth won’t commit to obeying courts on Marines in Los Angeles
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he would obey a Supreme Court order to remove troops from Los Angeles but declined to show similar deference to other courts considering the issue. The Pentagon chief initially deflected when asked at a House Armed Services Committee hearing whether he would abide by a court’s decision if it determined President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and Marines was unlawful.
Politico
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Los Angeles County probation officer charged with smuggling drugs into Sylmar juvenile hall
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced today that Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officer Michael Solis is accused of conspiring to bring alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, into Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar in 2023. “Trafficking illegal drugs to juveniles is unconscionable under any circumstances, let alone as a government employee taking advantage of vulnerable youth in need of guidance and support,” District Attorney Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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LA court hears eyewitness testimony of bus-jacking incident that left one man dead
Passengers of an LA Metro bus that was hijacked last year testified Tuesday about the shocking and violent incident that left one man dead. The driver of the bus who was lauded as a hero for activating a hidden emergency signal also testified during the first of what is expected to be a three-day preliminary hearing for Lamont Campbell, the 51-year-old who is charged with 12 felony counts including murder, attempted murder, carjacking and five counts of kidnapping.
Courthouse News Service
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Founder of O.C.-based non-profit charged in 15-count indictment alleging he bribed county supervisor in $12 million scheme
The founder of a now-shuttered non-profit organization has been indicted on federal charges alleging he bribed then-Orange County Supervisor Andrew Hoang Do to obtain approximately $12 million in COVID-19 pandemic-related funds, pocketed the bulk of that money, then laundered it to avoid detection by law enforcement, the Justice Department announced today.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Alien from Wuhan, China, charged with making false statements and smuggling biological materials into the U.S. for her work at a University of Michigan laboratory
Chengxuan HAN, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with smuggling goods into the United States and false statements, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. According to the complaint, Han is a citizen of the PRC who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, PRC.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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New allegations say LA Metro’s bid process for $198M bike share contract illegally benefited Lyft
Newly obtained complaints lodged against Metro by its bike share vendor detail a bid process for a lucrative new contract that it says was tainted by illegal behavior. The complaints were filed by Bicycle Transit Systems, Inc., which over the past couple of weeks has publicly accused Metro and rideshare company Lyft Inc. of ethics violations in the bidding process for a new contract to run Metro Bike Share.
Los Angeles Public Press
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Trump’s DHS wants LA County’s immigrant files. The county so far hasn't complied
Los Angeles County officials said they won’t give the Trump administration the personal information - such as names and immigration statuses - of people who applied to a state-funded cash aid program for certain eligible immigrants. The decision comes as other municipalities across the country have resisted cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Los Angeles Public Press
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The LA Alliance hearings vs. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher - judicial notice and legal fireworks
Few names strike more fear and respect into opponents in the legal world than the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (GDC). They once represented Chevron in the international case brought by indigenous Ecuadorian people of the Amazon. GDC attorney Randy Mastro is famous for getting opposing counsel Steven Dozinger disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C., and incarcerated.
Zachary Ellison Substack
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CDAA expresses “frustration” at Prop 36 funding
The California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) appreciates that California lawmakers have heeded the will of the voters and recognize funding is required to implement Proposition 36. However, we are concerned that not all the necessary funding has been provided to key partners including behavioral health and probation. The underfunding follows recent budget committee meetings during which nearly all members from both the Senate and Assembly stated that the treatment piece of Prop 36 should be fully funded, as did California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
CDAA News Release
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Clients of Efren Martinez, under investigation by DA, received $16.5 million from Huntington Park in last 3 years
A consultant at the center of a district attorney’s probe into backroom dealings at Huntington Park City Hall has ties to companies and clients that have been paid more than $16.5 million since July 2022, according to an analysis by the Southern California News Group. Nearly $6 million of the total went to a company owned by consultant Efren Martinez - Express Transportation, the city’s shuttle service provider - while the rest went to clients of his consulting firm.
Pasadena Star News & Orange County Register
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California gun control bill that could ban popular Glock pistol sales moves forward
A bill that could ban the sale of the most popular handgun in the U.S. is potentially on its way to becoming law after it passed through the California State Assembly on Tuesday. Assembly Bill 1127, also referred to by many people as the Glock Ban Bill, was authored by Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and would prohibit licensed firearms dealers from selling guns that can be “easily converted by hand or with common household tools” into a machine gun.
Fox40 Sacramento
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Former LA County sheriff’s oversight official faces retaliation investigation
The former chairman of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission is under investigation for alleged retaliation against a Sheriff's Department sergeant who faced scrutiny for his role in a unit accused of pursuing politically motivated cases. Sean Kennedy, a Loyola Law School professor who resigned from the commission this year, received notification from a law firm that said it had "been engaged by the Office of the County Counsel to conduct a neutral investigation into an allegation that you retaliated against Sergeant Max Fernandez," according to an email reviewed by The Times.
Los Angeles Times
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California lawmaker warns Menendez brothers' case is driving return of bill to release thousands of killers
A California lawmaker blames the attention on the Menendez brothers' case for prompting a bill to resurface that could put thousands of killers back on the streets. "California Democrats just opened the prison gates for over 1,600 cold-blooded killers," Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, a Republican, shared in a statement with Fox News Digital. "Democrat lawmakers have proven time and time again they don’t care about the victim or their family. They don’t care about keeping the public safe. They care about defending killers."
Fox News
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Sacramento DA, sheriff urge changes to state’s mental health diversion law
Standing before images of abused toddlers, Sacramento County’s law enforcement leaders warned that California’s mental health diversion program is allowing too many defendants to escape punishment. At a town hall in south Sacramento attended by about 50 people, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper and District Attorney Thien Ho urged residents to push lawmakers for more restrictions on the statewide program, which was established in 2018.
Sacramento Bee
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California gave accomplices to killings a second chance. How a new case tested the law
Hundreds of people convicted of murder in California didn’t kill anyone. They were handed long sentences because they drove a getaway car or kicked down a door in a robbery that ended in murder - and the state used to allow prosecutors to charge accomplices with first-degree felony murder. That changed in 2018, when California legislators required a higher standard for an accomplice’s murder conviction.
CalMatters
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Controller’s audit finds major failures in LA housing department’s oversight of affordable housing
A scathing new audit released Wednesday by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia reveals that the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) is failing to adequately protect tenants and enforce basic standards across thousands of affordable housing units in the city. The report highlights widespread problems in financial oversight, habitability enforcement, and regulatory compliance - issues that threaten the long-term viability of the city’s affordable housing stock.
Vanguard News Group
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Councilwoman Park takes the lead on RV crisis - will VNC step up or stall progress?
At the last meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council, a motion restricting overnight parking on Washington Blvd between Lincoln and the beach was about to be voted upon when members Helen Fallon and Lis Redmond abruptly left the meeting, which led to the motion not being entertained due to a lack of a board quorum, thus ending the meeting in a state of chaos!
CityWatch
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Chair of L.A. County sheriff oversight commission says he is being forced out
The top official on the watchdog commission that oversees the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is being terminated from his position, according to correspondence reviewed by The Times. Robert Bonner, chair of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, wrote in a letter Wednesday to L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger that he received a letter from her May 13 that said he was being replaced.
Los Angeles Times
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Copper wire thefts ‘worth it' for criminals due to weak penalties, LA officials warn
As copper wire thefts continue to cripple Los Angeles’ infrastructure, causing telecommunication and utility outages and leaving behind thousands of dollars of damage for each incident, city and county leaders and law enforcement officials pleaded with the state to impose tougher penalties for criminals. Among 6,000 incidents of copper theft during the second half of 2024 across the country, about one third of the incidents happened in California, according to data from Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
NBC4
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19 organized retail theft suspects arrested in Burbank blitz operation
Nineteen suspects allegedly involved in felony and misdemeanor theft-related offenses were arrested into custody by the Burbank Police Department following a coordinated nationwide operation aimed at disrupting organized retail theft, police announced Thursday. According to Burbank police, the operation occurred between May 26 and June 1, with the department working in partnership with the Los Angeles Organized Retail Crime Association and the Cook County State's Attorney Regional Organized Crime Task Force in Illinois.
NBC4
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Backing Trump response to LA protests, top Republicans hesitate to lay out red line for executive overreach
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday distanced Congress from oversight of the Trump administration, declining to say whether lawmakers might intervene as the White House escalates its response to protests in Los Angeles. The White House has deployed thousands of National Guard troops and about 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amid ongoing protests over immigration raids. Trump framed the move as a response to violence during clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.
Courthouse News Service
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California sues Justice Dept. over demand that school districts ban trans athletes
California sued the U.S. Justice Department on Monday over its demand last week that local school districts ban transgender youth from competing in sports, arguing the federal agency had overstepped its authority in violation of both state and federal law. The “pre-enforcement” lawsuit was filed “in anticipation of imminent legal retaliation against California’s school systems” for not complying with the agency’s directive by its Monday deadline, said California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office, which is handling the litigation.
Los Angeles Times
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“The intern in charge”: Meet the 22-year-old Trump’s team picked to lead terrorism prevention
When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about the exciting opportunities that lay beyond campus life in Texas.“Onward and upward!” he wrote, with an emoji of a rocket shooting into space. His career blastoff came quickly. A year after graduation, the 22-year-old with no apparent national security expertise is now a Department of Homeland Security official overseeing the government’s main hub for terrorism prevention, including an $18 million grant program intended to help communities combat violent extremism.
ProPublica
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Grand theft cargo: Sinaloa cartel targets US rail companies
As the migrant flow dries up and fentanyl smuggling gets harder with stricter border enforcement, Mexican criminal organizations increasingly are turning to alternative sources of revenues. One involves sacking cargo trains rolling through the American southwest. In the past few months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona has prosecuted at least 15 individuals for allegedly being part of schemes in which trains are brought to a sudden, dangerous stop and looted, and stolen merchandise is hauled away to California or Nevada.
Nexstar Media Inc.
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Former Orange County supervisor sentenced to 5 years in prison for bribery scheme involving more than $10 million in COVID funds
A former politician who served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes for directing and voting in favor of more than $10 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to a charity affiliated with one of his daughters. Andrew Hoang Do, 62, of Santa Ana, was sentenced by United States District Judge James V. Selna, who scheduled a restitution hearing for August 11.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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SFV man pleads guilty to possessing meth-caked clothing in suitcases at LAX
A San Fernando Valley man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge for possessing two suitcases containing more than a dozen clothing items - including a cow pajama onesie - caked in methamphetamine while preparing to board a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Australia late last year. Raj Matharu, 31, of Northridge pleaded guilty in downtown Los Angeles to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
MyNewsLA
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Noncompetition agreements remain unenforceable in California - but employers still have tools to protect company assets
California employers were required by February 14, 2024, under AB 1076, to notify employees bound by noncompetition agreements that these agreements are void and unenforceable - unless a statutory exception applies. With this update to California law, many employers are rightly asking: How can employers still protect their business interests, proprietary information, and customer relationships when noncompete clauses are no longer allowed?
Zaller Law Group, PC
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