California Supreme Court halts death penalty measure
Legal Events
The California Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a voter-approved measure intended to speed up the appeals process for the state's Death Row inmates to give it time to consider a lawsuit challenging the measure.
In a one-page decision, the court stayed the "implementation of all provisions of Proposition 66" and set a timeline for filing briefs in the case.
Proposition 66 would change how appeals are handled, appointing more lawyers to take cases, putting certain types of appeals before trial court judges and setting a five-year deadline for appeals to be heard. Currently, it can take longer than that for an attorney to be assigned to a case and upward of 25 years to exhaust appeals.
The lawsuit by former Attorney General John Van de Kamp and Ron Briggs, whose father wrote the ballot measure that expanded California's death penalty in 1978, said the reform measure would disrupt the courts, cost more money and limit the ability to mount proper appeals. They said the deadlines would set "an inordinately short timeline for the courts to review those complex cases" and result in attorneys cutting corners in their investigations.
Supporters of the measure have called the lawsuit a frivolous stall tactic.
California voters faced two death penalty measures on the November election. They rejected a measure that would have abolished the death penalty and narrowly approved Proposition 66.
Related listings
-
Ohio's high court dismisses media lawsuit over bodycam video
Legal Events 12/21/2016The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a public information lawsuit Tuesday without ruling on its argument that video from police body cameras are public record and should be released on request. In not taking up the issue, the court noted that the video h...
-
Green Party taking bid for election recount to federal court
Legal Events 12/04/2016Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is taking her bid for a statewide recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election to federal court. After announcing Stein and recount supporters were dropping their case in state court, lawyer Jon...
-
Justice Thomas: Honor Scalia by reining in government
Legal Events 11/18/2016Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is calling fellow conservatives to continue the work of the late Justice Antonin Scalia to keep the power of the courts and other branches of government in check. Thomas tells 1,700 people at a dinner in honor of...
Lawyer Website Design For Sole Practitioners - Law Promo
Law Promo understands that running a solo law practice can be a difficult undertaking at any stage, especially if you are just starting up your practice.
The most challenging part of running any solo business can be managing each and every aspect, especially those areas in which you have less experience. Marketing is often one of the weakest areas for small businesses and yet is the most important in ensuring business growth.
A solid internet marketing campaign is crucial, as it can level the playing field between you and larger firms and is by far the most cost effective way to attract more clients.