A new decision just out this year determines that prior acts of domestic violence can be admitted as predisposition evidence, and, importantly, may be proven by certified court records rather than through the in-court testimony of a victim.

An appeal decided in March 2024 argued that the word “vehicles” only means multiple vehicles. The defendant claimed since his case only involved a single stolen vehicle, the law didn’t apply. Novel argument – but sometimes those work. What do you…

A 2023 attempted murder conviction was reversed on appeal and sent back to trial court after the defendant showed the prosecutor used racially biased and racially coded language in the case. The RJA took effect in 2021 with the intent of ensuring…

The use of “biometrics” such as fingerprints to force the opening of private devices can raise multiple Constitutional arguments, reminding detectives to be precise in search warrant requests to assure admissibility of evidence seized after a…

Unanimous California High Court decision says police officers cannot detain someone simply because that person tries to avoid interacting with them, noting that many people of color perceive that engaging with police at all, even in innocuous ways,…