Robinson v. Lewis, 2020 WL 4045925, Supreme Court of California, S228137, July 20, 2020 A challenge to a state judgment of conviction through a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in state court must present each claim in a timely fashion. However, California law does not fix a determinate…
Articles Posted in New Case Law
A small amount of marijuana in a sealed container in a car is legal and does not justify a search
People v. Shumake (Cal. App. Dep’t Super. Ct., Dec. 16, 2019, No. 6093) 2019 WL 8128736 Stop by Specialized Dui Patrol Officer: Admission that driver had marijuana in the car While on specialized DUI patrol Berkeley Police Officer Megan Jones stopped a Hyundai with no front license plate, a violation…
Great Bodily Injury Defined
People v. Medellin (Cal. Ct. App., Feb. 20, 2020, No. F076022) 2020 WL 830758 The Court of Appeal reversed Samuel Medellin’s convictions for assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, and their accompanying enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury. The Court found that the prosecutor prejudicially misstated the…
Driving carefully while being observed by the police is not grounds for a traffic stop
People v. Mendoza, 2020 WL 562981 (Cal.App. 4 Dist., 2020) Conviction for transporting cocaine reversed because of no reasonable suspicion to detain Facts: Blanca Luna Mendoza was convicted of transporting for sale more than four kilograms of cocaine based on evidence a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent acquired after…
Evidence of mitigation for youthful offenders ordered by Court of Appeal
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. KEANDRE DION WINDFIELD et al., Defendants and Appellants. (Cal. Ct. App., Dec. 20, 2019, No. E055062) 2019 WL 6974388 Facts: Defendants Harquan Johnson and KeAndre Windfield were each convicted of one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, and assault with a…
Defendant must pay funeral expenses for his victim who died during a fight
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. TYRON JACOB TROUT-LACY, Defendant and Appellant. (Cal. Ct. App., Dec. 13, 2019, No. C1882419) 2019 WL 6816928 Summary: Tyron Jacob Trout-Lacy (defendant) fought with his victim, who was high on methamphetamine and had heart disease. Trout-Lacey punched the victim in the face multiple times…
Police need a warrant to enter a home when shots are fired in a high crime area
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. ADAN RUBIO, Defendant and Appellant. (Cal. Ct. App., Dec. 12, 2019, No. A152455) 2019 WL 6797405 Summary: Police may not break down a door and enter an apartment when the owner refuses to invite them in to investigate after shots were fired in a…
SB 1437 applies to attempted murder convictions based on the natural and probable consequences doctrine
People v. Medrano, 2019 WL 6487272 (Cal.App. 5 Dist.), 21 (Cal.App. 5 Dist., 2019) Natural and probable consequences doctrine and attempted murder The Fifth District Court of Appeal held that Senate Bill 1437 not only abrogated the natural and probable consequences doctrine to murder charges but attempted murder charges also.…
Pre-trial defendants in county authorized home-detention programs are entitled to custody credits
People v. Yanez (Cal. Ct. App., Nov. 15, 2019, No. A156074) 2019 WL 6043474 While awaiting trial, the court had imposed home detention subject to electronic monitoring as a condition of reducing Yanez’s bail from $480,000 to $100,000. Yanez had spent 555 days on electronic home detention, in a program…
Appeal of suspension after DMV Hearing finds DMV acted properly
Evans v. Shiomoto (Cal. Ct. App., Oct. 21, 2019, No. D073969) 2019 WL 5886970, at *1–7 The DUI stop, arrest and suspension Evans was pulled over for driving with his off-road-only lights illuminated while on a “highway,” in violation of Vehicle Code section 24411. The officer observed signs of intoxication…