A California appeals court of Thursday upheld an injunction that said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon can't refuse to charge three-strike cases, which can significantly increase prison sentences. The court affirmed an earlier ruling that said the directive not to charge strikes against dependants violates state law and the rights of prosecutors in Los Angeles County. "The district attorney overstates his authority. He is an elected official who must comply with the law, not a sovereign with absolute, unreviewable discretion."

Recall organizers in Los Angeles County said Wednesday they were heading down the home stretch of a months-long campaign to force the exit of District Attorney George Gascon amid a crime surge. The Recall George Gascon campaign said it has collected 500,000 signatures as of Monday, leaving them with 67,000 more needed from registered voters by the July 6 deadline to put the recall question on a ballot.

Republican Congressman Mike Garcia slammed progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon on Saturday over a tweet that Gascon posted to commemorate Memorial Day. "When I was 18 years old, I joined the United States Army," Gascon tweeted. "I'd like to wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend as we reflect on and remember those who have served our country." Garcia, who represents California's 25th congressional district, took issue with the tweet while also criticizing Gascon's handling of crimes committed in Los Angeles. 

A nine-member jury found Thursday former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick was fired in retaliation for sounding the alarm on corruption within the civilian police commission. The outcome of the trial hinged on the jury's answer to two questions: whether the city of Oakland unlawfully terminated her for disclosing to the city conduct she had reasonable cause to believe is unlawful, and whether the city violated her free speech rights by terminating her in retaliation for making reports on a matter of public concern.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed an order denying compassionate release to a leader of the Dog Pound Gang which engaged in 2016 in the slaying of rival gang members. A three-judge panel agreed with District Court Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the Eastern District of California that James York - also known as Aka Jamari York and "York Dog" - should remain in prison.

The NLRB was wrong to rule that the publisher of conservative online magazine the Federalist unlawfully threatened workers by tweeting that he’d send them “back to the salt mine” if they tried to unionize, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia held. The National Labor Relations Board lacked the evidence to support its ruling against FDRLST Media LLC, which runs the magazine, for publisher Ben Domenech’s “salt mine” tweet, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Friday.

The underlying action, Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, was a class action brought by former and current employees, alleging violations of meal period violations. The palintiffs sought not only premium wages for the violations but also waiting time penalties and penalties for failure to provide accurate wage statements. The results of the trial court decision were mixed and appealed.

The Supreme Court ruled in April that a deaf woman could not receive emotional distress damages from her disability discrimination suit because the statutes at issue were silent on the matter. She petitioned the court again, however, after finding evidence to the contrary. "The opinion says it was premised on the fact that the statute is completely silent as to remedies," said Andrew Rozynski, an attorney with Eisenberg & Baum representing Jane Cummings. "That is verifiably inaccurate by just looking at the statute."

A Christian former U. S. Postal Service mail carrier wasn't illegally discriminated against when he was disciplined for missing work on the Sabbath because his absence placed an unfair burden on his employer and colleagues, a split Third Circuit ruled Wednesday.

In the first federal appellate ruling on delta-8 THC, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals deemed the substance legal - at least for purposes of trademark protection - concluding that if “Congress inadvertently created a loophole legalizing vaping products containing delta-8 THC, then it is for Congress to fix its mistake.” AK Futures LLC v. Boyd St. Distro, LLC, No. 21-56133, 2022 WL 1574222 (9th Cir. May 19, 2022).

The Court of Appeal for this district, rejecting a contention that the evidence was insufficient to show implied malice, yesterday affirmed the conviction of a man on three counts of second degree murder based on driving at 90 miles per hour while high on marijuana, going through a red light, and colliding with a vehicle, killing its occupants.

A divided US Supreme Court blocked a Texas law that critics say would fundamentally transform Twitter Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook by requiring them to allow hate speech and extremism. Over four dissents, the justices on Tuesday put the measure on hold while a constitutional challenge goes forward in a lower court, granting a request from tech groups that represent the platforms. A federal appeals court let the law, known as HB20, go into effect earlier this month.

Amazon's decision to discipline and fire employees who complained about lax safety measures in the early days of the pandemic spurred a state investigation and tangle of ongoing legal proceedings in New York. The e-commerce giant fought its latest battle Tuesday in front of the Second Circuit. At issue was a lawsuit Amazon filed in response to an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James into whether the company failed to protect workers and then retaliated against those who blew the whistle.

In July of 2021, I wrote a column called “Two overdoses in 10 minutes,” about the brazen drug dealers in San Francisco’s troubled Tenderloin neighborhood, in which I called attention to a video of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Currently facing a recall election on June 7, Boudin told a stunned Zoom audience “we need to be mindful of the impact our interventions have…” He went on to say that half the dealers are from Honduras and have been trafficked here to sell drugs. 

Michael Avenatti, the celebrity lawyer who took on former U.S. President Donald Trump, should serve consecutive prison terms for two recent criminal convictions, prosecutors argued on Friday, rejecting his request to serve time concurrently. Avenatti, 51, rose to cable news stardom in 2018 by defending porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Trump. But the Los Angeles-based lawyer's career unraveled amid accusations he stole from Daniels and extorted $25 from Nike Inc.

Six people have been arrested and face felony charges in connection with a $10-million recycling fraud scheme, California officials said. State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said the defendants are suspected of bringing more than nine tons of material from Arizona to Sourthern California recycling centers to "unlawfully redeem" them in the state, which accepts only recyclable containers from California under its program.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the results of a multiagency effort - operation "Hybrid Havoc" - targeting violent street gangs in Stockton. Members of the gangs were allegedly responsible for a series of violent crimes, including at least two homicides, and were identified by the Stockton Police Department's Gang Violence Suppression Unit and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office as a significant threat to the community. The agencies then requested the assistance of the California Departent of Justice. 

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The California Public Utilities Commission - which regulates day-to-day services as varied as electric utilities and ride-hailing companies - has long vowed to become more transparent in response to criticism it operates far too secretively. Yet despite those promises, the CPUC has erected multiple roadblocks to prevent the public from learning about its handling of deadly disasters and corporate scandals, according to a San Francisco Public Press review of court records and interviews with 1st Amendment attorneys.

Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva rode a wave of progressive energy to become the first Democrat and Spanish speaker to win the seat in more than a century. Now his party is having buyer's remorse. A campaign promise to reform a troubled department has given way to four years of scandals, attacks on journalists and conservative rhetoric aroud crime that has shocked Democrats and endea4red him to far-right media figures like Tucker Carlson.

A political action committee funded by billionaire investor George Soros has contributed more than $1.95 million to Diana Becton's campaign for Contra Costa District Attorney. Earlier this month, county election filings showed an independent expenditure of just over $400,000 from the California Justice & Public Safety PAC. On May 28, the PAC contributed an additional $1,545,000-plus in contributions to the campaign, including $652,000 directly from Soros.

Gun advocates faced off with protesters over the weekend outside the NRA convention in Houston, Texas. The divide is also being felt on Capitol Hill. But Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan that he believes it's possible to get at least 60 votes for some form of gun legislation. "I do think there's an opportunity right now to be able to pass something significant. I've seen more Republican interest in coming to the table and talking this time than at any other moment since Sandy Hook," Murphy, a Democrat, said.  

The free speech and press freedom community has been holding its breath this week while the U.S. Supreme Court considers an emergency application for relief in NetChoice v. Paxton, the First Amendment challenge to Texas’s content-moderation statute. If the justices let the law stay in effect, the result will be a significant shift in internet law. If the justices block the statute, the decision will be a landmark precedent on the application of traditional free speech principles to new digital platforms. But when and how the Court will ultimately act is still anyone’s guess.

Two years ago, some of Los Angeles' political leaders took a public stand against the clout wielded by the city's police union, announcing they would reject any campaign donations that were offered by the group. In the days after the killing of George Floyd, Councilman Mike Bonin - elected twice with the union's support - said he would disavow any additional outside spending made by the union on his behalf. 

District Attorney Chesa Boudin is a leader of the national movement for crimnal justice reform. He could soon become a cautionary tale about its vulnerabilities. A well-funded recall campaign looks poised to unseat Boudin next week. Its outcome will echo across midterm elections, shaping the elected officials who determine how alleged crimes should be prosecuted amid the nation's oscillating debate over public safety.

Results of a Compton City Council race decided by one vote have been overturned following an election rigging scandal that prompted criminal charges against the winner last year. Two-term Councilman Isaac Galvan must be replaced by his challenger, Andre Spicer, after a judge determined that four of the votes cast in the election were submitted by people who did not live in the council district that the two men were vying to represent, according to a 10-page ruling issued Friday by Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court.

A California man who spent 21 years in prison for a gang murder he said he didn't commit has been declared factually innocent by a judge, authorities announced Wednesday. Alexander Torres appeared at a news conference with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon and members of the California Innocence Project, which fought for his exoneration.

The director of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's crisis response team fatally struck a pedestrian Tuesday night on the North Hollywood Freeway while driving a city vehicle alone in the carpool lane, officials said Wednesday. The driver was traveling north on Highway 170, Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im said, and, according to investigators with the California Highway Patrol, struck a person on the 170 near Victory Boulevard about 10:30 p.m.

The Food and Drug Administration took 130 enforcement actions against counterfeit medication rings from 2016 through 2021, according to my new study published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Such actions might involve arrests, confiscation of products or counterfeit rings being dissolved. These counterfeiting operations involved tens of millions of pills, more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of active ingredient powder that could be turned into pills in the U.S. and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

Some years ago, while working as a police sergeant in South Los Angeles, I rushed to the scene in an adjacent patrol division where an officer had been shot by a robbery suspect. I arrived to find the crime scene in chaos, with officers from several patrol divisions careening in, parking their cars haphazardly, and running this way and that with no apparent purpose. Seeking to bring some order to the situation, I approached an officer standing in the middle of the intersection. "Who's in charge?" I asked.

We learned months ago that Republicans in several states created forged election materials after Donald Trump's 2020 defeat, pretending to be "duly elected and qualified electors." The Republicans then sent the documents to, among others, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Archivist, as if the fake materials were legitimate. They were not. Among the unanswered questions is what kind of scrutiny the scheme - and those responsible for executing the plan - might receive.

A 46-year-old California man accused of plotting to blow up the state's Democratic Party headquarters in a bid to avenge ex-President Donald Trump's electoral loss pleaded guilty on Friday to three charges, federal prosecutors announced. Ian Benjamin Rogers of Napa will be sentenced in September for conspiring to destroy a building by fire of explosives, possessing an explosive device, and possessing a machine gun.

The grotesque toll of gun violence is again being debated in Congress. As Luis Ferré-Sadurní and I reported over the long weekend, states are not holding their breath. Particularly this state: In ways that have tended to be underreported, California has significantly lowered gun deaths, Dr. Garen J. Wintemute, an emergency room doctor and longtime firearm violence researcher, told me this week.

Outbreaks are underway at several state prisons among both inmates and staff, data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation show, amid a broader surge of COVID-19 spreading across California and nationwide. Prisons reported nearly 1,500 new inmate COVID-19 cases between May 1 and May 29, an almost 20-fold increase compared to just 75 infections reported over the preceding four weeks, according to a CDCR online data tracker.

A Central Coast cannabis dispensary owner was sentenced to just under two years in federal prison Friday after previously pleading guilty to counts of bribery and tax evasion when he tried getting favorable treatment for his business, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. Helios "Bobby" Dayspring, 36, of San Luis Obispo appeared before Judge Andre Birotte, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District, where he was sentenced to 22 months in prison after he pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count each of bribery and subscribing to a false income tax return, according to U.S. Attorney's spokesman Ciaran McEvoy. 

A man who killed five people and injured several others during a months-long shooting rampage that stretched from the Sasn Fernando Valley to West HOllywood in 2014 was convicted of all charges Wednesday and will spend the rest of his life in prison, prosecutors said. Alexander Hernandez, 42, was found guilty of five counts of murder with special circumstances, 11 counts of attempted murder and several other offenses following a six-week trial, according to Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Michele Hanisee.

A New York federal judge ruled against former President Donald Trump on Friday in a suit that sought to block the state attorney general's probe of the Trump Organization and its eponymous leader. Trump brought the suit against Office of the New York State Attorney General in December 2021 with his personal attorney Alina Habba. 

Most “active shooter” attacks in America end within five minutes. The attack on Uvalde school children lasted an hour. That is how long police waited for backup Tuesday instead of moving on the gunman, who sprayed classrooms with bullets, leaving 19 children and two teachers dead. That revelation, which a Texas law enforcement official provided Thursday, has enraged parents who wonder whether a quicker response could have saved lives - though details about the exact sequence of events remain unclear.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced a move to halt the sale and transfer of handguns in Canada among a package of gun control proposals heralded by some as the country's "most significant action on gun violence in a generation." "These are actions that doctors, experts and chiefs of police have been calling for for years, and we're acting on their advice," Trudeau said during a news conference on Monday.

Supreme Court officials are escalating their search for the source of the leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, taking steps to require law clerks to provide cell phone records and sign affidavits, three sources with knowledge of the efforts have told CNN. Some clerks are apparently so alarmed over the moves, particularly the sudden requests for private cell data, that they have begun exploring whether to hire outside counsel.

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