Criminal Justice Legal Foundation Archives

Gov. Newsom Signs Bill to Allow Millions of Convicts’ Criminal Arrest Records Sealed

September 30, 2022 10:50 amOctober 1, 2022 7:18 am

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday to allow the criminal arrest records of convicted criminals sealed from potential employers, schools, charitable organizations and the public. According to SB 731 author Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), “Due to the...

Is Gov. Newsom’s Closure of San Quentin Abuse of Executive Authority?

February 1, 2022 2:39 pmFebruary 1, 2022 8:47 pm

California Gov. Gavin Newsom defied the state’s voters within 6 weeks of being sworn in January 2019. He said during his campaign he would abide by the will of California voters who in 2016 rejected Proposition 66, a ballot initiative...

Criminal Justice Legal Foundation Research Debunks DA Gascón Claims on Sentence Lengths and Recidivism

May 13, 2021 3:02 amMay 13, 2021 5:23 am

A new research project by the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation has debunked claims that “science and data” show that shorter sentences for violent and habitual criminals promote public safety has no basis in published research. This is important because when...

California Supreme Court Rules To End Cash Bail For Some Defendants Who Cannot Afford It

March 27, 2021 2:31 amMarch 29, 2021 10:32 am

The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that judges must consider an arrestee’s ability to pay bail, and may not hold them solely because they couldn’t afford bail. In a unanimous decision, Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar wrote on behalf of the...

California Supreme Court Rules That 14, 15-Year-Olds Cannot Be Tried As Adults

February 26, 2021 5:58 pm

On Thursday, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that 14- and 15-year-old criminals cannot be tried as adults, validating a state law three years after being signed by the Governor. The case over trying 14-and15-year-olds as juveniles began in November...

Kamala Harris: Pattern of Contempt for Voters and the Law

March 22, 2019 8:02 amMarch 25, 2019 12:33 pm

Sen. Kamala Devi Harris has declared herself unalterably opposed to the death penalty, but some critics, left and right, superficially declare her career as a prosecutor in San Francisco and California proves otherwise. False. Her actions disprove whatever words may...

Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues a Death Sentence on California’s Death Penalty

March 13, 2019 2:28 pmMarch 14, 2019 7:18 am

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that he is granting reprieves for all death penalty murderers on California’s death row, calling the death penalty “ineffective, irreversible and immoral.” He then signed an executive order putting a moratorium on the executions of...