The Rogue-Prosecutor Threat to the Rule of Law
Zack Smith and Charles Stimson have a book out with the above title. Barry Latzer has this review at National Review. Continue reading . . .
Category: Prosecutors
Cal. DA Takes a Dive in Bogus Discrimination Case
Did Contra Costa County* District Attorney Diana Becton “take a dive” when her office was accused of discriminatory charging practices? Ron Matthias, retired Senior Asst. AG, has this op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News.
Thanks to the Contra Costa district attorney’s puzzling refusal to adequately defend her office against bogus allegations of racially discriminatory charging practices, the county’s most dangerous gang-banging murderers will avoid the punishment they deserve.
Diana Becton’s anemic response to both the charge of bias and a subsequent court ruling sustaining it will leave informed observers with the nagging suspicion that she’s happy with the result. She could use the ruling as a convenient excuse for never again seeking appropriate charges against hardcore gang members and for dropping charges against some who already have been convicted.
Under California law, a gang-inspired murderer can see his sentence “enhanced” by 10 additional years, and in the case of an especially egregious murder, the gang connection could support a “special circumstance” subjecting him to a no-parole life sentence or even the death penalty. In either instance, the connection must be charged and proved.
LA DA Fails to Boot Victim’s Advocate Out of Court
Our system of criminal justice is an adversary one, normally pitting the prosecutor against the defense lawyer. In Los Angeles today, however, the office of District Attorney George Gascón is often agreeing with the defendant.
While there are only two parties to a criminal case, victims of crime in California have a right to be heard under Article I § 28 of the state Constitution, as amended in the original Marsy’s Law, Proposition 9 of 2008. Retired Deputy District Attorney Kathleen Cady has been doing great work in LA toward ensuring that victims’ voices are heard. This raises the ire of Mr. Gascón, interfering with his cozy, collusive motions. Continue reading . . .
Andrew McCarthy on the Daniel Penny Case
Andrew McCarthy has this article in National Review on the Daniel Penny case. I do not always agree with him, but his take is always interesting. An extended excerpt from the article follows: Continue reading . . .
New Circuit Attorney in St. Louis
Last Friday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson appointed Gabriel Gore as Circuit Attorney for St. Louis, replacing Kimberly Gardner, who resigned abruptly. Mr. Gore is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, although his recent experience is in private practice. The announcement is here. Eric Heffernan and Katie Kull have this story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Continue reading . . .
Crime and Consequences in Seattle
The WSJ borrowed our name in this editorial. I’m cool with that.
Policy news flash: Fighting crime reduces crime. The latest evidence comes from Seattle, of all places, where City Attorney Ann Davison’s efforts are showing results.
In Washington State, city attorneys only have jurisdiction over misdemeanors, but misdemeanors matter. Continue reading . . .
Philly Repeat Offender Arrested For Murder
Following a six-month manhunt, U.S. Marshals arrested 20-year-old Halim Evans and 29-year-old Jamel King for the September 2022 murder of a pregnant teen. KYW News reports that on September 11, a car was identified on a security camera following two girls walking a dog in a Philadelphia suburb at 9:p.m. The video shows one of the men exiting the car and stalking the girls then eventually opening fire. 17-year-old Teryn Johnson was hit in the chest and died later in the hospital. She was nine weeks pregnant. Police have not determined whether the suspects knew either girl. Jamal King had prior drug, gun and assault convictions, and probation violations at the time of the murder. He was recently sentenced to two years in prison for the gun and assault crimes but was released early after serving a few months. Following his election in 2018, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner implemented policies to seek the lowest sentences for criminals he chose to prosecute in order to achieve social justice. The pregnant teen’s murder constitutes collateral damage in pursuit of that higher goal. A recent poll by the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that 90% of respondents said that crime was the top priority.
Missouri AG Moves to Fire St. Louis Prosecutor
Federalism allows cities and states to adopt widely varying policies regarding crime and justice, so long as the policies comply with the U.S. Constitution. When elected officials implement policies that result in increased crime or perceived injustice, the voters usually get the last word. This happened last year in San Francisco, when voters recalled progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin for failing to aggressively prosecute criminals. Boudin was among several dozen district attorneys, states attorneys and circuit attorneys whose campaigns were bankrolled by progressive billionaire George Soros. Before Soros began doing this, even big city district attorney campaigns would rarely raise more than $500,000 from thousands of contributors. To elect pro-criminal progressives to these offices Soros often contributes $500,000 to over $1,000,000 to their campaigns, essentially buying the election.
300 LA Traffic Deaths in 2022, Activists Blame Streets
A story by Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times reports that traffic deaths in the city have hit a two-decade high. More than half of the deaths involved vehicles hitting pedestrians or people on bicycles, both which significantly increased compared to prior years. This comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that traffic fatalities nationally remained flat over 2022. What is causing this increase? The Los Angeles Times did not inquire into how many traffic fatalities involved an intoxicated driver. With an estimated 69,000 homeless in LA, many using drugs, riding bicycles and wandering the streets, it might be that pedestrians and bike riders are part of the problem, but this was not reported. Last March, the Los Angeles Police Commission announced that LAPD Officers were no longer authorized to make traffic stops. This limits officers from pulling over cars weaving, turning without a signal, failing to stop at a stop sign or driving with an expired registration. Losing the ability to stop a driver who is intoxicated and/or blatantly ignoring traffic laws might actually encourage traffic fatalities. This concern was not reported in the Times.
Gascón Recall Committee Wins Injunction
The effort to recall LA DA George Gascón won an injunction against county election officials today, granting them access to records to support their claim that the registrar wrongly disqualified petition signatures. Scott Schwebke has this report in the Orange County Register. Continue reading . . .
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