Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Trump-appointed judge records gun tutorial to slam court ruling
A conservative U.S. appeals court judge took the unusual step on Thursday of recording himself handling several handguns and explaining their mechanisms to explain why his colleagues had wrongly upheld a California law banning magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was on Republican President Donald Trump's shortlist for a U.S. Supreme Court nomination in his first term, said he hoped through the video to show how a lack of familiarity with firearms had resulted in a flawed 7-4 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Reuters
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Judge throws out police union lawsuit against LAPD commander
A Los Angeles County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the union for rank-and-file police officers against an LAPD commander accused of accessing emails, surveys and materials intended only for lower-ranking cops. In a ruling Monday, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Bruce Iwasaki sided with Cmdr. Lillian Carranza and her co-defendant, Deputy Chief Marc Reina, who argued that the Los Angeles Police Protective League failed to prove the allegations of unlawful computer data access and fraud.
Los Angeles Times
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Ninth Circuit swats challenge to Idaho anti-trans bathroom law
An Idaho law banning transgender public school students from using the bathroom that matches the gender they identify with will remain in place after a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a Boise High School student organization's constitutional challenge on Thursday. “The facts of this case are distinguishable from those in which the government forces individuals to provide information that unambiguously discloses their transgender status,” U.S. Circuit Judge Morgan Christen, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote in a 36-page order.
Courthouse News Service
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Supreme Court upholds federal regulations on ghost gun kits
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld government regulation of self-assemble firearm kits that produce untraceable weapons known as "ghost guns.” The 7-2 decision came from Justice Neil Gorsuch. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. "The Gun Control Act embraces, and thus permits ATF to regulate, some weapon parts kits and unfinished frames or receivers, including those we have discussed," Gorsuch wrote.
ABC News
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California agency overstepped authority with off-roading ban, appeal court rules
A panel of three California Court of Appeal judges ruled on Monday that the California Coastal Commission overstepped its authority banning off-road vehicles from driving through Oceano Dunes. The commission - the state agency tasked with protecting the California coastline and ensuring everyone has access to it - argued that it's legally obligated to protect environmentally sensitive areas, like the dunes and the threatened Western Snowy Plover bird’s habitat in them, from off-roading vehicles.
Courthouse News Service
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OC district attorney ordered to turn over documents to ACLU in racial bias case
A judge has ordered Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer to turn over certain office policies and training manuals to civil rights groups that sued as part of an effort to determine if there is racial bias in his prosecutions. Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm made the ruling Thursday, March 20, in a 2022 public records lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundations of Northern and Southern California as well as the activist group Chicanxs de Unidxs de Orange County.
Orange County Register
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Judge dismisses another Amazon 'late delivery' lawsuit
A Washington State judge on Friday dismissed the latest proposed class-action lawsuit that accused Amazon of misleading consumers with its guaranteed delivery promises, handing a legal win to the e-commerce giant as it continues to face mounting scrutiny over its shipping practices. The complaint, brought by a group of Amazon Prime members, alleged that the company’s widely advertised “guaranteed delivery dates” were routinely missed, particularly during peak seasons.
Consumer Affairs
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Deeply misleading, and at worst intentionally false’: SCOTUSblog founder says DOJ used phony witness to come after him for crypto crimes, calls for sanctions
Attorneys for Supreme Court lawyer and SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein - who is charged with tax evasion and accused of “hiding millions” - are calling for sanctions against federal prosecutors for making “deeply misleading and, at worst intentionally false” accusations against him in court, his legal team says.
Law & Crime
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Oregon newspaper will have to turn over confidential docs inadvertently given by attorney, Ninth Circuit rules
An Oregon newspaper will have to either turn over or destroy confidential documents accidentally given to them by a plaintiff's attorney after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed a lower court's ruling that shielded the news operation. "Does a district court have the power to order an intervenor to return or destroy confidential documents that were inadvertently disclosed to it by another party?" asked U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a Donald Trump appointee, in his 13-page ruling.
Courthouse News Service
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Supreme Court to hear challenge to federal law limiting appeals
The U. S. Supreme Court will hear argument on Monday to consider a Texas child molester’s claim that a federal law prohibiting successive petitions challenging convictions and sentences has been misinterpreted to deny him his rights. In 1996, Congress passed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), which limited most defendants to one federal habeas corpus petition to challenge a conviction or sentence.
Criminal Justice Legal Foundation
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LA DA declines to charge ‘Extraction’ producer David Guillod for sexual assault over four years after he was arrested
Extraction producer David Guillod is not going to be charged with sexual assault, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said today. “After an extensive review of the evidence by the Sex Crimes Division, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has determined that the Office is unable to prove sexual assault allegations against David Guillod beyond a reasonable doubt,” Nathan Hochman’s office announced.
Deadline
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Accused Crips leader indicted: A Grammy-winning witness, NBA all-star’s $3-million debt
A federal grand jury indictment returned this week against accused gang leader Eugene “Big U” Henley revealed new details about the reach of his alleged “mafia-like organization” and the celebrities who were entangled in it. Henley, who helped launch Nipsey Hussle’s career, was previously charged in a 107-page criminal complaint and eventually arrested last week. The 43-count indictment returned Wednesday means a grand jury believes there’s enough evidence to charge Henley.
Los Angeles Times
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Friends of murdered Cal Fire captain relieved after wife's arrest in Mexico
Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi did not put up a fight. She was arrested by Mexican authorities outside a hotel in Mexicali more than a month after a warrant for her arrest was filed in San Diego County. The charge is murder. “I’m really grateful that she got caught,” said Ami Mahler Salinas Davis, who told NBC 7 that she and her wife Aisha have been counting the days.
NBC7 San Diego
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LA city attorney files $62 million lawsuit against alleged price gougers
A group of property owners are facing a $62 million lawsuit Friday for alleged price gouging in the aftermath of January’s wildfires and violating short-term rental laws. The City Attorney’s Office filed a civil enforcement action against several individuals and their related companies that allegedly operated a sprawling illegal multimillion-dollar rental property scheme.
MyNewsLA
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DA Hochman announces important policy changes in prosecutions of murders with special circumstances
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has implemented important changes to the current and historic policies of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office regarding its prosecution of special circumstance murder cases. Effective immediately, the prior administration’s extreme and categorical policy forbidding prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in any case is rescinded.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Trump’s DOJ to investigate L.A. Sheriff’s Department over long waits for gun permits
The federal Department of Justice says it has launched an investigation into whether the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is violating people’s gun rights with excessive fees and wait times for concealed carry permits. The DOJ announced Thursday afternoon that it was opening an investigation into the Sheriff’s Department’s possible abuse of 2nd Amendment rights, part of a broader review of “restrictive firearms-related laws” in California and other states.
Los Angeles Times
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L.A. City Council seeks crackdown on the N-word and C-word at meetings
For the last decade, the Los Angeles City Council chamber has been center stage for some of the meanest, most offensive messages delivered in an open government forum. A few speakers routinely hurl racial slurs, antisemitic phrases or other forms of verbal abuse at council members. They have attacked officials’ looks, their weight, their clothes, their sexual orientation and their gender, curdling the proceedings on a regular basis.
Los Angeles Times
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Pro-Palestinian activists sue UCLA alleging civil rights violations at campus encampment
More than 30 pro-Palestinian activists have filed a civil rights lawsuit against UCLA, alleging the university “repeatedly and systemically” violated the civil rights of protesters during demonstrations at the campus encampment last year. Plaintiffs said they were deprived of “their rights to assemble, speak, learn, and organize freely and safely” and left with “life-altering injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder,” according to a news release about the lawsuit.
NBC News
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The rough path to recalling Mayor Karen Bass
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may be struggling with rough polling numbers, a snowballing city budget crisis and the threat of a possible recall election. But at least one thing is working in the mayor’s favor: Given the steep number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot, experts say it’s highly unlikely that the recall election will come to a vote.
Los Angeles Times
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CA unions seek state-level labor protection
As businesses like SpaceX and Amazon seek to undo the National Labor Relations Board, California unions are trying a novel tactic to preserve labor organizing rights. They’ve introduced a bill that would give the state a new role in union disputes. Assembly Bill 288 by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor would give the state jurisdiction over union elections, accusations of employer retaliation and other cases between employers and unions - in the event the federal board doesn’t or can’t respond.
CalMatters
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Beverly Hills seeks $400,000 in legal fees from abortion provider blocked from opening
The city of Beverly Hills is seeking more than $400,000 in legal fees from an abortion provider who accused officials of colluding with extremists to scuttle the opening of a clinic, drawing new outrage in a case that has already seen national outcry and official state censure. Dozens of abortion-rights advocates descended on the Beverly Hills City Council last week, demanding that city leaders abandon the pursuit of money spent fighting in court against the DuPont Clinic.
Los Angeles Times
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Orange County sheriff blasts state sanctuary law but says deputies won’t do immigration enforcement
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes blasted a state sanctuary law that bars local law enforcement from contacting immigration officials when an undocumented immigrant is held in county jail, but he said he won’t direct his deputies to enforce immigration laws. “We have no desire to enforce immigration law - we never have, and we never will,” Barnes said during a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday.
Los Angeles Times
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LA City Council votes to approve motions aimed at protecting immigrants amid federal ICE crackdown
The City Council approved a package of motions Wednesday aimed at protecting immigrants in Los Angeles amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration and threats to so-called sanctuary cities. In a 10-0 vote, council members instructed staff to report back on policies that would require businesses to notify the city of all Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, as well as to inform workers of their rights ahead of potential raids.
City News Service
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In a turbulent time, LAFD union head isn’t who you think he is
With piercing brown eyes, a biker mustache, a gravelly voice and the build of an NFL defensive end, Freddy Escobar has long cut an imposing figure in Los Angeles’ political conflagrations as head of the city firefighters union. He was in my face during a Rick Caruso campaign stop in 2022, complaining about what he felt was my overly negative coverage of the mega-developer’s run for mayor.
Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles has a parking enforcement problem. A big one
Los Angeles has a budget problem. Well, another budget problem. According to a recent report from independent news organization Crosstown LA, the city is fighting a losing war over parking and parking enforcement. Crosstown analyzed data provided by City Controller Kenneth Mejia, which showed that L.A. is spending tens of millions more on parking enforcement than it is receiving from parking tickets.
KTLA
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The Leonard Files: Why are there so many LAPD car chases? (Video)
LAPD officers were involved in more vehicle pursuits in 2024 than anytime in recent years, and with them, so have the number of innocent motorists and pedestrians injured by accidents caused by the pursuits. The LAPD and its Board of Police Commissioners has been mulling over the data for years, considering adding more restrictions on when officers are allowed to chase suspected criminals.
NBC4
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LA County approves $908 million in spending to curb homelessness
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $908 million funding package for homeless services, including the first allocations under the new Measure A sales tax. The board also approved a new formula for determining how some Measure A dollars will be distributed among the county’s 88 cities. “Measure A is a major shift in our strategy for taking on homelessness,” Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement to LAist.
LAist
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L.A. sheriffs can’t get inmates to court on time, angering judges, delaying justice
Zhoie Perez slouched against the holding cell wall in Men’s Central Jail and closed her eyes, hoping a guard would jolt her awake with the words she’d been waiting for: The bus is here! Time for court! The 51-year-old just needed to make it back to court one more time so she could be sentenced and, she hoped, released. She’d been jailed months earlier, but since then had repeatedly missed hearings - usually, she was told, because the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department didn’t have enough buses.
Los Angeles Times
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‘California isn’t having it’: Golden State seizes leadership on the environment amid White House rollbacks
While the federal government is rolling back dozens of environmental protections on a national scale, California is taking the fight against climate change into its own hands. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he is joining America Is All In, a bipartisan coalition of state leaders committed to reducing carbon emissions, as the organization’s newest co-chair.
Courthouse News Service
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Attorney General Bonta urgently issues consumer alert for 23andMe customers
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing and information company. The California-based company has publicly reported that it is in financial distress and stated in securities filings that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.
Attorney General Bonta Press Release
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L.A. County probation officers seize illegal drugs, stolen vehicle during compliance checks
The Los Angeles County Probation Department says it recovered a significant quantity of illegal drugs and identified a stolen vehicle during a compliance operation conducted Thursday in Santa Clarita. Officers from the department’s AB 109 Region Five Team conducted compliance checks in the area and seized the following from several people on active probation. Officers also located a Dodge Challenger reported stolen out of Bakersfield.
KTLA
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Police arrest serial rape suspect accused of more than a dozen crimes in L.A. County
Los Angeles police are seeking additional victims of a knife-wielding serial rapist accused of attacking at least nine people across Los Angeles County over the past two decades, with the latest incident reported last month on Figueroa Street. The suspect, Andre Cobbs, is also allegedly behind at least four robberies. Cobbs, 40, was arrested after the Feb. 19 assault of a sex worker near the intersection of South Figueroa and West 80th streets, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at Tuesday's Police Commission meeting.
Los Angeles Times
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California lawmakers request nearly $2B to LA city recover from wildfires
Mayor Karen Bass and four City Council members are back in Los Angeles Tuesday after a one-day sojourn to Sacramento resulted in 22 California legislators requesting nearly $2 billion in wildfire recovery aid for Los Angeles. "Meetings were productive," Bass told City News Service in a short phone interview Monday evening. "It is not as though we expected to walk away with a check, but we absolutely walked away with encouragement and support."
Westside Current
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New fire maps increase hazard zones in L.A. and Southern California by 3.5 million acres
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection released updated fire-hazard severity-zone maps for Los Angeles County for the first time in over a decade on Monday, adding more than 440,000 acres to the county’s hazard zones, includng a 30% increase in acres zoned in the highest severity rating. The release - which includes all of Southern California and marks the end of the agency’s two-month, statewide rollout - sets off a roughly five-month clock for L.A. city and county to receive public input, make adjustments, and begin enforcing heightened fire-safety regulations within the new zones.
Los Angeles Times
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L.A. Mayor Bass' text messages provide window into early fire response
Inside the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Mayor Karen Bass was attending a reception with local and foreign dignitaries as her phone began to ping. The first urgent message came from her deputy chief of staff, Celine Cordero. It was 6:48 p.m. on Jan. 7 in the African nation and just before 11 a.m. on what would become a catastrophic day in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times
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LAFD actions in Palisades fire shrouded in secrecy as city refuses to release records
More than two and a half months after flames leveled much of Pacific Palisades, the Los Angeles Fire Department and Mayor Karen Bass’ office have maintained an extraordinary secrecy about the city’s preparations for and response to the inferno. The Fire Department, the mayor and her representatives have yet to provide answers to basic questions from The Times about whether they approved the LAFD’s plan to protect the Palisades before the Jan. 7 blaze.
Los Angeles Times
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | | |
Lancaster woman convicted in hospice fraud scheme
A Lancaster woman was found guilty Friday of receiving more than $330,000 in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals to two hospice companies in a fraud scheme that bilked Medicare out of more than $3.2 million through claims for medically unnecessary services. Callie Jean Black, 66, was convicted at the conclusion of a four-day bench trial in Los Angeles federal court of four counts of soliciting and receiving remunerations for patient referrals, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
City News Service
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'Pillowcase Rapist' Christopher Hubbart released to live in High Desert
Christopher Hubbart, also known as the "Pillowcase Rapist" for a series of dozens sexual assaults carried out over three decades, has been released to live in a court-ordered housing facility in Pearblossom, authorities said. Hubbart, 73, was placed into the new housing on Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which has staunchly opposed the release. A Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge determined he was suitable for conditional release in March of 2023.
Victorville Daily Press
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Second woman is strangled during an overnight visit at California prison
The family of a woman who died of strangulation during an overnight visit with her husband at a California prison is questioning why a man convicted of murdering four people was allowed to have family visits. Stephanie Diane Dowells, 62, who also went by the name Stephanie Brinson, was killed in November, making her the second person in a year to die at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione during a family visit, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
NBC News
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What’s it like to defend a Mexican cartel boss? Reputed drug lords seek lawyers in U.S.
On a single day late last month, the Mexican government shipped 29 accused drug lords north across the border to face U.S. justice. Plucked from Mexican prison cells, hustled onto planes in shackles and express-delivered into the waiting hands of American authorities were several notorious capos, whose alleged narco exploits have been chronicled in films, TV series and federal indictments spanning decades.
Los Angeles Times
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