Judges and Judiciary
Apr. 29, 2024
Supreme Court whipping boy
Judge Roger Benitez is a contemporary whipping boy who is unfairly blamed for his rulings on California's gun laws. The judicial bullseye should be on the Supreme Court instead of a solitary judge.
William Slomanson
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Email: bills@tjsl.edu
William Slomanson is also the author of California Procedure in a Nutshell (5th ed. 2014).
In early modern Europe, a whipping boy was a youngster who was educated alongside a prince or child monarch. Premised upon the theme "the king can do no wrong," the whipping boy would receive corporal punishment for the prince's transgressions.
San Diego federal judge Roger Benitez is a contemporary version. He has been excoriated in the press for his so-called crusade against California's gun laws. The movement to rebuff his influence emer...
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