| Case # | Name | Category | Court | Judge | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G059940
|
People v. Pacheco
Denial of defendant's petition to vacate his murder conviction was reversed because the jury instruction did not require jurors to find that defendant directly aided and abetted the target crime of murder. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
E. Moore | Mar. 10, 2022 |
|
20-5279
|
Wooden v. U.S.
Determining whether felonies are part of the same occasion under the Armed Career Criminal Act's requires a multi-factored inquiry that includes timing, location, and the character and relationship of the offenses. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
E. Kagan | Mar. 8, 2022 |
|
E075758
|
People v. Pixley
Where defendant entered into a plea bargain with a stipulated sentence, he was not eligible for resentencing based on military-service-related post-traumatic stress disorder. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Ramirez | Mar. 8, 2022 |
|
E073987
|
People v. Gonzalez
A statute criminalizing possession of a loaded, operable firearm while also in possession of controlled substances did not violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Slough | Mar. 7, 2022 |
|
A163992
|
Hernandez-Valenzuela v. Superior Court (People)
Court delays because of case backlogs due to COVID-19 pandemic was an extraordinary and exceptional circumstance that warranted speedy trial rights exceptions. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
I. Petrou | Mar. 7, 2022 |
|
19-17038
|
Flemming v. Matteson
Defendant's federal claims were untimely under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act's one-year statute of limitations because his state habeas petitions were untimely. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
L. VanDyke | Mar. 7, 2022 |
|
F078864
|
People v. Rodriguez
Increased evidentiary requirements to prove gang-related crimes and enhancements must be applied retroactively and requires proof that the benefit to the street gang is more than just reputational. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Snauffer | Mar. 3, 2022 |
|
A159026
|
People v. Faial
Assembly Bill 1950, which generally limits probation terms to two years, does not apply retroactively when the trial court's revocation and termination of defendant's probation occurred before the bill's effective date. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
C. Fujisaki | Mar. 2, 2022 |
|
A163307
|
Kuhnel v. Superior Court (People)
When defendant was validly on probation when her probation was revoked and the probation violation hearing never occurred, Assembly Bill 1950 does not apply and the probation period is tolled until the formal probation hearing occurs. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
A. Tucher | Mar. 2, 2022 |
|
E072463
|
Modification: People v. E. H.
Changes to the gang-enhancement statute merited reversal of conviction because it was not conclusive that the jury instructions were harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Slough | Mar. 2, 2022 |
|
A156387
|
People v. Phillips
Evidence of defendant's prior involvement in a similar crime may be used to negate claims of innocence especially where circumstances were factually analogous. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
T. Stewart | Mar. 1, 2022 |
|
20-15396
|
Hoffman v. Preston
The court extended the Bivens remedy to allow suit against a guard who allegedly created a substantial risk of harm to plaintiff prisoner. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
L. Rosenthal | Mar. 1, 2022 |
|
F078228
|
Modification: People v. Vasquez
A gang enhancement did not require a showing that an umbrella gang and local subset were connected, because the umbrella gang alone satisfied the requirements. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
C. Poochigian | Feb. 28, 2022 |
|
A164257
|
People v. Flores
The probative value of defendant's prior acts evidence concerning his propensity to commit domestic violence outweighed any danger of undue prejudice. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
V. Rodriguez | Feb. 28, 2022 |
|
B310238
|
People v. Flint
When the jury finds "not true" that a felony-murder special circumstance applied to the murder, that is considered a finding which requires the court to grant a petition for resentencing unless an exception applies. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
F. Rothschild | Feb. 28, 2022 |
|
E072463
|
People v. Hall
Changes to the gang-enhancement statute merited reversal of conviction because it was not conclusive that the jury instructions were harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Slough | Feb. 24, 2022 |
|
B309003
|
Modification: People v. Sek
Amended gang enhancement statute required that defendant's gang enhancements be stricken when it was unclear whether the jury relied on reputational benefit to street gang in rendering its finding. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
F. Rothschild | Feb. 24, 2022 |
|
A159962
|
In re K.M.
Defendant was not liable for aiding and abetting a robbery because although he was present, insufficient evidence showed that he affirmatively assisted or encouraged the robbery. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
G. Burns | Feb. 22, 2022 |
|
A159649
|
People v. Smith
A petitioner for release under the Sexually Violent Predators Act did not need to show a material change since his last petition for release because his earlier petition was not denied on the merits or found to be frivolous. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
G. Burns | Feb. 22, 2022 |
|
20-99000
|
Oliver v. Davis
Debatable inferences of evidence that a preemptory challenge to strike a juror was pretextual should have been resolved in favor of the state court. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
E. Miller | Feb. 18, 2022 |
|
B309605
|
People v. Lopez
Mask mandate did not violate right to confront witnesses because it was necessary to further the public policy of ensuring courtroom attendees' safety during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not inhibit the testimonies' reliability. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
E. Grimes | Feb. 17, 2022 |
|
B313121
|
People v. Butler
Assembly Bill No. 1950, which reduces the maximum probationary term for most felony offenses to two years, does not allow renegotiation of a plea agreement that exceeds the new maximum. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
A. Harutunian | Feb. 17, 2022 |
|
F076838
|
People v. Sanchez
Defendant's attempted murder conviction was reversed because it could not be determined whether the jury relied on the natural and probable consequences doctrine in reaching its verdict. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Snauffer | Feb. 17, 2022 |
|
E073965
|
People v. Clements
Although admitting a factual summary from a prior appellate decision was improper, the trial court's ruling was upheld because defendant failed to identify any portions of the appellate opinion the trial court relied on. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Slough | Feb. 17, 2022 |
|
B309269
|
People v. Alvarez
A COVID-19 requirement that witnesses wear masks while testifying did not violate the face-to-face requirement of the Confrontation Clause. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
D. Perluss | Feb. 16, 2022 |
|
G059259
|
Modification: People v. Zamora
Where juror objects to release of jurors' identifying information, court must determine whether good cause for disclosure exists before releasing the identifying information. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
T. Goethals | Feb. 16, 2022 |
|
F082783
|
De La Cerda v. Superior Court (People)
Under the statute defining child pornography possession, Penal Code Section 311.11(c) is an alternate penalty provision and its subdivisions cannot be pleaded as separate offenses. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
K. Meehan | Feb. 16, 2022 |
|
G059593
|
People v. Jackson
In sexually violent person cases, to determine whether to exclude defense expert witness testimony, trial courts must consider both statutory laws and defendant's constitutional due process right to present such evidence. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
R. Fybel | Feb. 16, 2022 |
|
H047594
|
People v. Reynoza
The evidence was insufficient to prove that defendant attempted to prevent or dissuade a witness from causing a complaint to be filed. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
M. Greenwood | Feb. 16, 2022 |
|
B312185
|
People v. Cortes
Defendant failed to make a showing that he was entitled to resentencing because the record demonstrated that he was not convicted under the natural and probable consequences doctrine. |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
C. Moor | Feb. 16, 2022 |
