California Case Commentaries

Affirmation of Joinder and Jury Selection Standards in Capital Murder Cases: People v. O'Malley

Date: Feb 19, 2016

Affirmation of Joinder and Jury Selection Standards in Capital Murder Cases: People v. O'Malley Introduction People v. James Francis O'Malley (62 Cal.4th 944, 2016) is a landmark decision by the...

Cal. Supreme Court Establishes Borrower Standing to Challenge Void Assignments in Nonjudicial Foreclosures

Date: Feb 19, 2016

Cal. Supreme Court Establishes Borrower Standing to Challenge Void Assignments in Nonjudicial Foreclosures Introduction In the landmark case of Ts v. tana YVANOVA, 62 Cal.4th 919 (2016), the Supreme...

PEOPLE v. MENDOZA: Upholding Competency Standards and Capital Punishment Despite Mental Illness Claims

Date: Feb 12, 2016

PEOPLE v. MENDOZA: Upholding Competency Standards and Capital Punishment Despite Mental Illness Claims Introduction In the landmark case of PEOPLE v. MENDOZA (62 Cal.4th 856, 2016), the Supreme Court...

Louis James Peoples v. The People: Affirmation of Death Sentence and Upholding of Procedural Protections

Date: Feb 5, 2016

Louis James Peoples v. The People: Affirmation of Death Sentence and Upholding of Procedural Protections Introduction In Louis James Peoples v. The People (62 Cal.4th 718, 2016), the Supreme Court of...

Affirmation and Clarification of Lying-in-Wait Special Circumstance in Death Penalty Sentencing

Date: Feb 5, 2016

Affirmation and Clarification of Lying-in-Wait Special Circumstance in Death Penalty Sentencing Introduction People v. Casares (62 Cal.4th 808, 2016) is a pivotal decision by the Supreme Court of...

Affirmation of Death Sentence in Lying-in-Wait Murder Case: People v. Johnson

Date: Jan 22, 2016

Affirmation of Death Sentence in Lying-in-Wait Murder Case: People v. Johnson Introduction In the landmark case The People v. Billy Joe Johnson (62 Cal.4th 600, 2016), the Supreme Court of California...

Rethinking Circumstantial Evidence Instructions in Lying in Wait Special Circumstances: People v. Ramon Sandoval, Jr.

Date: Dec 25, 2015

Rethinking Circumstantial Evidence Instructions in Lying in Wait Special Circumstances: People v. Ramon Sandoval, Jr. Introduction The case of The People, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. Ramon Sandoval,...

California Supreme Court Defines CEQA's Scope on Environmental Impact Analyses

Date: Dec 18, 2015

California Supreme Court Defines CEQA's Scope on Environmental Impact Analyses Introduction In the landmark case of California Building Industry Association v. Bay Area Air Quality Management...

People v. Stevens: Restricting Mental Health Expert Testimony in Establishing MDO Act Qualifying Offenses

Date: Dec 11, 2015

People v. Stevens: Restricting Mental Health Expert Testimony in Establishing MDO Act Qualifying Offenses Introduction In People v. Mark Stevens, 62 Cal.4th 325 (2015), the Supreme Court of...

Clarification of Discretionary Approval under Design Immunity: Hampton v. County of San Diego

Date: Dec 11, 2015

Clarification of Discretionary Approval under Design Immunity: Hampton v. County of San Diego Introduction The case of Randall Keith Hampton et al. v. County of San Diego (62 Cal.4th 340, 2015)...

Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence in People v. Cage: Reinforcing Standards for Premeditation and Lying in Wait

Date: Dec 4, 2015

Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence in People v. Cage: Reinforcing Standards for Premeditation and Lying in Wait Introduction The case of The People v. Micky Ray Cage (62 Cal.4th 256) presented the...

Defining Associational Connections Under the STEP Act: Insights from People v. Prunty

Date: Aug 28, 2015

Defining Associational Connections Under the STEP Act: Insights from People v. Prunty Introduction The PEOPLE v. Zackery PRUNTY, 355 P.3d 480 (Cal. 2015), is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court...

Defining 'Criminal Street Gang' under the STEP Act: Organizational Connections Required – PEOPLE v. Prunty

Date: Aug 28, 2015

Defining 'Criminal Street Gang' under the STEP Act: Organizational Connections Required – PEOPLE v. Prunty Introduction PEOPLE v. Zackery Prunty is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of...

Supreme Court of California Upholds Death Penalty in Ropati Seumanu Case, Affirming Procedural and Evidentiary Standards

Date: Aug 25, 2015

Supreme Court of California Upholds Death Penalty in Ropati Seumanu Case, Affirming Procedural and Evidentiary Standards Introduction In the landmark case of The PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v....

Supreme Court of California Upholds Death Penalty Against Ropati Seumanu: Comprehensive Review of Evidentiary and Procedural Issues

Date: Aug 25, 2015

Supreme Court of California Upholds Death Penalty Against Ropati Seumanu: Comprehensive Review of Evidentiary and Procedural Issues Introduction The PEOPLE v. Ropati Seumanu represents a significant...

Affirmation of Felony Murder Rule and Death Penalty Enhancements in Aiding and Abetting Cases

Date: Aug 25, 2015

Affirmation of Felony Murder Rule and Death Penalty Enhancements in Aiding and Abetting Cases Introduction The People v. Jack Emmit Williams (61 Cal.4th 1244) is a landmark case adjudicated by the...

Clarifying the Scope of CCP § 340.6(a): Distinguishing Professional Obligations in Attorney-Client Disputes

Date: Aug 21, 2015

Clarifying the Scope of CCP § 340.6(a): Distinguishing Professional Obligations in Attorney-Client Disputes 1. Introduction In the landmark case of Nancy F. Lee v. William B. Hanley (61 Cal.4th 1225,...

Mandatory Personal Jury Trial Advisement and Waiver in MDO Commitments: People v. Blackburn

Date: Aug 18, 2015

Mandatory Personal Jury Trial Advisement and Waiver in MDO Commitments: People v. Blackburn Introduction In the landmark case of People v. Bruce Lee Blackburn (61 Cal.4th 1113, 2015), the Supreme...

Enhancing Defendant Rights in NGI Commitment Proceedings: People v. Tran

Date: Aug 18, 2015

Enhancing Defendant Rights in NGI Commitment Proceedings: People v. Tran Introduction In The People v. Dawn Quang Tran (61 Cal.4th 1160, 2015), the Supreme Court of California addressed critical...

People v. Nguyen: Striking Penal Code Section 186.22(b)(1) Enhancements for Gang Participation

Date: Aug 14, 2015

People v. Nguyen: Striking Penal Code Section 186.22(b)(1) Enhancements for Gang Participation Introduction In the landmark case The PEOPLE v. LAM THANH NGUYEN (61 Cal.4th 1015), the Supreme Court of...