Law Offices of Jacqueline Goodman

The New York Times on my California client, #ChelseaBecker, who is charged with murder for the stillbirth of her own fetus. This case will have far-reaching ramifications. A 1970's amendment to California's murder statute deemed a fetus a separate victim for purposes of the murder statute in a place where abortion is legal. Interesting. In 1992, the Republican state assemblyman who wrote the amendment said that its original and only purpose was to make punishable as murder... a third party’s willful assault on a pregnant woman resulting in the death of her fetus," not to be used against the mother of the fetus. The effects of this case will echo into the future--and across the country. It is part of a nationwide effort to #criminalize #abortion. And it makes for strange bedfellows: The medical community at large AND California's Attorney General have come out publicly in support of our defense. To criminalize mothers for their actions during pregnancy will result in more harm to fetuses, as the most at-risk pregnant women will not seek prenatal care or help for substance abuse and other health issues for fear of a murder charge if she loses baby. Grateful to California's Attorney General, the ACLU, National Advocates for Pregnant Women and an all-star legal team. Today, thanks to them, Chelsea is out of jail as she awaits her trial. https://www.nytimes.com//chelsea-becker-california-stillbi

Today, the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers released the groundbreaking report on the decades-long impact of the #TrialPenalty in New York State. The comprehensive report shows what practitioners already knew--that the right to trial is vanishing. The threat of far greater sentences if a person chooses to exercise their 6th amendment right to go to trial, means untold numbers of factually innocent... people have been unjustly convicted. The threat of trial penalty is what fills jails with the wrongly convicted. What's perhaps most alarming is the extent to which judges have become complicit in an active effort to discourage people from exercising their Sixth Amendment rights, and testing the evidence against them, or shining a light on police misconduct. The biggest losers? The innocent. https://www.wnyc.org//new-study-criticizes-courts-penaliz/

https://conta.cc/2Qyw9CI

#SolitaryConfinement is #torture. And not like quarantine-without-Netflix torture. It's the your brain will never function well again kind of torture. The #NY State Senate passed a bill last Thursday that will limit the amount of time an inmate can spend in solitary confinement to 15 days. This makes NY one of the first states to follow the @UnitedNations Nelson Mandela Rules which describe any solitary confinement over 15 days as torturous. On any give...n day in New York, there are nearly 3,000 people (disproportionately people of color) in #stateprisons in #solitary in Special Housing Units (SHU)s, and 1000s more in other forms of #isolation. The #HALTSolitaryConfinement Act would prevent inmates from being held in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days, or 20 days total in any 60-day period. It also would ban solitary for those with mental or physical disabilities, pregnant women and inmates under 21 or older than 55. https://www.cnn.com//new-york-solitary-confinem/index.html

In 1961, Clarence Earl Gideon faced prosecution as a defendant with an 8th grade education and no counsel. He was, as so many before him, found guilty. However, after a momentous Supreme Court decision on March 18, 1963, Gideon returned to the same Florida courtroom with a lawyer and was acquitted. It is because of this monumental Supreme Court victory that, nearly six decades later, public defense lawyers around the nation make it their daily mission to bring justice to tho...se farthest from its reach. Today I honor Public Defense Day and thank all public defenders for their work to extol the value of every human being as they force us toward a more fair criminal justice system. #publicdefenseday

Join me for "Making Sense of Science: Forensic Science & the Law" a virtual CLE event hosted by CACJ and NACDL. Airing April 22-24th. Register Now: https://www.nacdl.org/Event/2021-Forensic-Science-the-Law

After months of leading Ms. Becker's legal counsel and partnering along-side the NAPW, I am very proud to announce that she was released from jail, on her own recognizance, so that she can enter a residential treatment facility. Ms. Becker can now continue to fight her charges out from behind bars. In 2019, the Kings County D.A. charged Ms. Chelsea Becker with murder. Claiming, without scientific basis, that her stillbirth was caused by her previous use of methamphetamines. ...Becker's release from jail is an extremely rare and momentous decision for a murder charge. One that will influence how future cases involving the outcome of a woman's pregnancy should be handled. An OR on a murder charge? There's a first. https://www.nationaladvocatesforpregnantwomen.org/chelsea-/

Today President Biden ordered the DOJ to begin the process of phasing out all federal contracts with the multi-billion dollar private prison industry across the nation. Private prisons are a large part of the engine creating mass incarceration--and at a massive profit. Defunding a major cause of mass incarceration in his first week as President is a welcomed, albeit overdue step toward racial equity in America. Promises made, promises kept (in record time). https://www.cnbc.com//biden-to-announce-racial-equity-plan

Look at the Register all grown up! Proof, if there was any doubt, that this is our time. Any reform to this broken, inhumane system of injustice can and must happen now. The pendulum will inevitably swing the other way, so now is no time to be shy. Bold, systemic changes are having a moment. https://www.ocregister.com//its-time-for-da-associat/amp/

In 2020, the NACDL Trial Penalty Clemency Project supported 24 cases. Of those, 14 were granted commutations last night. This is an incredible achievement, worthy of recognition by all. What's more, is that half of the 14 commutated cases involved individuals sentenced to life. The efforts of the NACDL TPCP cut down approximately 185 years of imprisonment (based on average life expectancy), thus highlighting the tremendous impact of the trial penalty. It is good work, but not finished work. As, I'm sure, the 10 cases that did not receive commutations will be a high priority as the new 2021 administration grabs hold of the reigns.

"I called to get my brother help, not to get him lynched." The system failed Mr. Prude first when he was sent home from a psychiatric evaluation. He was failed again when, hours later, police used deadly force during his mental health crisis. Yesterday the NY Attorney General announced that none of the arresting officers would face criminal charges for covering his head with a hood and asphyxiating him until he died. ... It is imperative we push for new approaches to de-escalate situations involving mental health crises. Too often a call for help ends in the violent death of those most vulnerable in their hour of need. https://www.nytimes.com//daniel-prude-rochester-police.html

Yet another consequence of the inequalities that plague our justice system. The disproportionate amount of felonies handed out in marginalized communities creates an ever-expanding racial divide in our courtrooms. Those with prior felonies, and in some states even misdemeanors, are often barred from serving on a jury. This means at least 1 in 3 Black men are ineligible to serve. Should this persist, the racial contrast between jury and defendant will only become more stark. https://thecrimereport.org//one-in-three-black-men-effect/

While he was busy trying to overthrow the government and trying to pardon himself and his friends and family, he couldn't be bothered with Lisa Montgomery. Her execution is the 11th since the trump administration resumed use of federal capital punishment in July after a 17-year hiatus. You'll recall the latest include youthful offenders and such. Two more federal inmates are scheduled for execution this week: Corey Johnson on Thursday and Dustin J. Higgs on Friday. President-...elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., whose inauguration is set for Jan. 20, but I mean who the fuck knows, has, thank God, signaled his opposition to the federal death penalty. I mean he's an actual Christian, so. Anyway, while avoidable deaths are the new black, and this is kinda women's lib-y, I thought this would be timely.

That we ever had "youth prisons" is what I find hard to comprehend. https://www.latimes.com//california-youth-prisons-closing-

"Adora Perez’s healthcare providers told law enforcement that drug use caused her pregnancy loss, but the question remains: Why would those entrusted with her care participate in her criminalization when medical experts agree it is a counterproductive response to drug use, specifically among pregnant people? Every pregnant Californian should be able to access the care they need without fear of being turned into the police by their doctor." Excerpted from Farah Diaz-Tello's letter to the editor. https://www.latimes.com//adora-perez-appeal-stillborn-murd

It's redundant to say that it is unsafe to be in jail during the pandemic. But right now it is particularly treacherous. Some inmates do not even have soap to wash their hands or bodies and, far from socially distanced, currently healthy inmates are forced to share cells with the infected. It is criminal to essentially force people to catch and spread this disease. Not only for the harm it causes those who are incarcerated, but for the harm it causes those whom they infect upon their release. https://www.nytimes.com//coronavirus-vaccine-prisons-massa

On Wednesday the California Supreme Court denied without prejudice our first challenge to end the murder prosecution of Chelsea Becker. The merits of our position, supported by the ACLU and CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra (recently tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to head the US Dept. of Health and Human Services), have yet to be reached. https://www.latimes.com//california-supreme-court-allows-m

Many defense practitioners in Orange County may view Spitzer’s statement with skepticism. But it should be seen as a welcome step in the right direction to anyone concerned with equal justice and thriving communities. Because although it favors platitudes over substance, and whether it be borne of an astute political concern or an authentic awakening, it is a signal that the struggle for equal justice may finally be gaining a foothold, even in Orange County, CA. https://bit.ly/2MVn4T6

UCLA wins $3.65-million grant to build ‘Age of Mass Incarceration’ archive with LAPD records Led by MacArthur Genius Fellow and professor, Lytle Hernandez, scholars from within the UCLA community have recently garnered a $3.65 million grant towards their work, "Archiving the Age of Mass Incarceration," independently curating and preserving the history of mass incarceration in Los Angeles. Now the voices and stories of those within this carceral system can be heard outside th...e prison systems that cage them. https://www.latimes.com//ucla-wins-3-65m-grant-to-archive-

Innocence Project client Termaine Hicks, shot in the back by police, exonerated after 19-year cover up. Click on link to learn more: http://bit.ly/3rcdRVA

The Supreme Court’s denial of review of our request for dismissal, although disappointing, came as no surprise, as this issue may not yet have been ripe. The ruling, made specifically without prejudice, left for another day the substantive issue to be decided: whether women in California may be condemned as murderers when deemed the cause of the loss of their own pregnancies. We are confident that the Court will ultimately rule in favor of Chelsea Becker, and thereby in favor of all women. We look forward to vindicating the right of every woman in California to be free of murder charges based on a miscarriage or stillbirth. https://www.sfchronicle.com//Court-refuses-to-bar-woman-s-

Well, to be clear, I didn't "join" in the Becker defense. I am lead counsel. And, together with Dan Arshack and Lynn Paltrow of NAPW, we took Chelsea's case over from the PD (who had pled Adora Perez when similarly charged) early on. Matthew Missakian also led the charge for Adora Perez and, together with a team with whom I've merely consulted, has put her case back in issue. I didn't expect to be quoted here. But, if I have anything to say, it is that I originally took this murder case pro bono because I knew of it’s importance not only to a wrongly-accused Chelsea Becker, but to all women, and all people in California. What I now realize is how much I had underestimated its importance, and how much my soul would be enriched by taking it on. #freeChelseaBecker

Thanks to ACLU, the Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes who was forced to admit details of #COVID #outbreaks within the jails involving 74 new confirmed cases, and 75 more unconfirmed, must cut #OCJail population in half. This response will save many individual lives and lay groundwork for the safekeeping of the many surrounding communities. The big story is how the incarcerated made this known. Oh, the humanity. www.aclu.org//judge-orders-50-percent-reduction-orange-cou

Come November, California #voters will be faced with a criminal #justice reform proposition that would reclassify many misdemeanor crimes as felonies. Proposition 20 would also bring back DNA collection on low-level crimes and take a stronger stance on parole by limiting eligibility and changing the parole board criteria. #Prop20 should be an easy no. California taxpayer’s money should go towards rehabilitation initiatives like alternatives to incarceration, mental health treatment, and homelessness prevention. NOT more prisons and harsher sentencing. You can read more about Prop. 20 in the Reason Foundation article here: https://reason.org//california-ballot-initiative-analysis/

This just in from The Grim Reaper: Day before yesterday, 3054 beautiful people died from Covid-19 in the U.S. Yesterday it was 3,103. Also, on his way out, trump is rushing through executions for death row inmates as he gives pardons to his co-conspirators. Gosh, this having-to-live-with-your-ex-before-he-moves-out thing super sucks. ... https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55236260

Congratulations to California Attorneys for Criminal Justice for the signing of their sponsored bill, #AB3070 (authored by Shirley Weber (D)) which was signed by Gov. Newsom yesterday. The bill makes removal of potential jurors on the basis of #race illegal. It is an important and long-awaited step towards ridding the #criminal #justice #system of the scourge of #racial #bias. You can read more about the signing of AB 3070 from the office of Gavin Newsom here: https://www.gov.ca.gov//governor-newsom-signs-landmark-le/

On Monday Gavin Newsom signed #CACJ -sponsored bill SB 592. The bill requires courts to utilize taxpayer lists when developing lists of potential jurors, expanding the #diversity of the pool of jurors. Jury service suppression has been a systematic problem in the same vain as #voter suppression, and this bill is a fantastic counter to that #injustice. You can find the full legislative update here: https://www.gov.ca.gov//governor-newsom-issues-legislativ/

Today George Gascón was sworn into office as the District Attorney for Los Angeles County, and just like that, hope has been restored to millions of people, whether they knew it or not. At his inaugural address, Gascón immediately got to work instituting sweeping criminal justice reform, relating to everything from juvenile justice to bail to the death penalty, and pledging review of every three-strikes or enhanced case for resentencing, and more. He began his remarks with w...ith an edict that from this day forward, NO JUVENILE WILL BE CHARGED AS AN ADULT. While COVID19 robbed us of the roar of a standing ovation and the tearful expressions of joy and hope and healing, my heart stood still for just a moment. And he went on. Policy after policy, promise after promise kept. Gascón asked us to close our eyes and envision the peaceful community we can and should have. He's right. This dystopian city was a product of bad choices, not an unavoidable tragedy. He rightly put to the dustbin of history old, wrong-headed policies that caused generations of damage and despair. It's Day One, and the real work must follow, but I have hope. Welcome, Mr. Gascón. We've been waiting for you.

Even in death. https://www.voanews.com//breaking-another-barrier-ruth-bad

Yesterday the California Supreme Court granted our habeas petition on the issue of bail for Chelsea Becker, a woman wrongly accused of murder for the stillbirth of her fetus. A proud moment for team-Becker including NAPW, and a time to take stock in the support of Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the ACLU. #freechelseabecker

There are many unsung heroes among us. Many angels who lift us up and bring light to our world. David Dinkins, New York City's first (and as yet only) Black mayor passed away yesterday. As NYC's first Black mayor, he faced challenges we can only imagine. But he was a visionary. And he understood the needs of the people of New York City in a way most did not. And despite those challenges, Mayor Dinkins created a legacy of love, life, safety and honor that will live on for as... long as humankind may exist. While those who do not understand his legacy or his struggles mistake NYC's 106th mayor as "moderate," it was, for example, Mayor Dinkins who supported the birth and development of holistic defense from the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, to lift NYC's most vulnerable communities out of the bonds of multilateral systems that exacerbated their struggles. Here's to this revolutionary champion of kindness and hope. May he be remembered for this and all of his efforts, known and unknown. https://www.nytimes.com///nyregion/david-dinkins-dead.html

A somber anniversary: Nine years ago today Georgia executed Troy Davis, a Black man, despite compelling evidence of his actual innocence. The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davis’s who came before me and all the ones who will come after me, he said. In fact, innocent Black people are still seven times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than innocent white people. The struggle for justice wages on. ... Click on the link to find out more: https://bit.ly/32R8dhE

Robert DuBoise has been #exonerated of all charges after 37 years in prison. His #freedom comes as the result of the first systematic review of bite mark cases initiated by a prosecutor’s office. Great work by The Innocence Project, and a testament to the value of the Tampa State Attorney’s #ConvictionReviewUnit and why all prosecutors would be well-served by their own #CRU or #CIU s, 50 of which now exist throughout various jurisdictions across the U.S. Relentless pursuit of #justice on behalf of Mr. DuBoise. Congratulations. Learn more about Mr. DuBoise, his exoneration and The Innocence Project on their website here: https://www.innocenceproject.org/robert-duboise-officially/#

I am grateful that the @ACLU has added their voice to the ever-expanding and diverse chorus demanding justice for my client, #ChelseaBecker, currently facing murder charges for the stillbirth of her fetus. The #ACLU filed an amicus brief earlier this week in the California Supreme Court in support of our pending petitions.

In 2019 nearly a third of the 72,000 people in California jails had an open mental health case. Take the case of Keiana Aldrich, whom the LA Times recently highlighted. Ms. Aldrich is only one of the 30,000 inmates who have been left vulnerable because of the recent curtailing of access to mental health treatment as a result of the current pandemic, in a system ill-equipped to treat mental illness in the first place. The way a society treats its most vulnerable is perhaps the... clearest statement of its value. In California, the largest mental hospital is the Los Angeles county jail. Ask any fourth grader and they will tell you this is wrong. We should be as smart as a fourth grader. You can read more of my thoughts about this on my blog here: https://www.californiadefenselawyer.net/blog/ And you can read more about Aldrich in the LA Times article here: https://www.latimes.com//sex-trafficking-victim-suicidal-n

Defunding police does not mean eliminating all police. It means putting funds into other services better suited to handle the complexities of life which comprise the majority of 911 calls. This young man suffered from a mental health episode and his family called for help to calm things down. They did not call with the expectation that Daniel Prude would be harmed, much less killed. Law enforcement officers are not trained, nor are they equipped, to handle much of what we as...k them to do. Guns and choke-holds are not needed to deal with a situation that requires an understanding of mental illness. We must fund social services and we need to value a masters degree as much as we value a badge. There are many ways to help our loved ones during a crisis; killing them is not one. It is purely a lack of imagination that causes us to have police respond in every single situation with their weapons and force. To recognize this issue is not to devalue police but to understand their appropriate role. It is to also value the many other areas of expertise that exist. It is to value human life. https://www.nytimes.com//daniel-prude-police-rochester.html

Bernie Sanders endorses Gascón! Police unions endorse Lacey. Maybe that’s all you need to know. I encourage all of my LA County friends and family to vote ourselves a new District Attorney. It’s easy to forget the down-ballot contests, and the district attorney’s office is very far down the ballot, especially in our county. But it’s a very important office and change is necessary. For Bernie Sanders to weigh in on a local county prosecutor race, you must know something is u...p. And love him or hate him, no one questions Bernie Sanders’s integrity. I’ll be hosting a virtual fundraiser for Gascón this evening, and have given as much as I can to help bring integrity to the LA DAs office. I personally love Gascón, while at the same time, am reminded that if he were to win, I would spend my life opposing him. Ironic. But he’s what LA needs a thinker with a conscience. Please vote Gascón for LA DA and help spread the word. https://www.latimes.com//bernie-sanders-endorses-former-sf

"Section 187 of the California Penal Code was intended to protect pregnant women from harm, not to be used to prosecute for murder a woman who has just lost a pregnancy, said Attorney General Becerra. When I took on the representation of Chelsea Becker pro bono, I knew we would have righteousness --and a few excellent lawyers -- on our side. It is gratifying to see the enormity and the diversity of voices who've joined us in our effort to #freechelseabecker https://goldrushcam.com//26449-california-attorney-general

Congratulations to California Attorneys for Criminal Justice for the passage of their sponsored bill, #AB3070 (authored by Shirley Weber (D)) which passed through the #Senate on Sunday. The bill, which previously passed the #Assembly and is on its way to @GovernorNewsom, makes removal of potential jurors on the basis of #race illegal. It is an important and long-awaited step toward ridding the #criminal #justice #system of the scourge of #racial #bias. You can read more about AB 3070 in the piece I penned for the Daily Journal attached:

California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye yesterday launched a work group focused on addressing and preventing the undeniable inherent bias that exists in the California Supreme Court. Implicit bias has plagued our justice system since its inception. Such action from the California Supreme Court, particularly with the recent passing of CACJ-sponsored AB 3070, legislation outlawing the exclusion of jurors on the basis of race, is a harbinger of good things to come. It is a hopeful day for justice in California and beyond.

Qualified immunity shields cops from juries’ oversight and denies justice to victims of police brutality. And the regional differences in how qualified immunity is granted only add to arguments that this relatively new court-created doctrine is unfair and should be abolished. You can learn more about the issues behind qualified immunity in the Reuters article, here: https://www.reuters.com//s/usa-police-immunity-variations/

Here in California, a good day for justice. An emphatic "NO!" to props. 20 and 25 earlier this week, and one giant "Yes!" to prop. 17 and to our newly-elected LA District Attorney George Gascon, means that California's fight for a more just, equitable and less racist criminal justice system is making some much deserved headway. Props. 20 & 25, which would have returned us to mass incarceration and the unequal pretrial detention of people from minority populations were rejected by California voters this week. Meanwhile, Prop. 17, which restores voting rights to parolees, was voted in. A big win for justice reform.

Today's Exonerated Black Man: Derrick Harris has spent the last 7 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was wrongly convicted of a 2013 robbery after being #misidentified. Today, with the help of the California Innocence Project and the LA district attorney’s Conviction Review Unit, his freedom is returned. You can read more about Derrick Harris’ dismissal here:... https://www.latimes.com//after-7-years-in-jail-los-angeles See more

Judges now have to consider a defendant’s ability to pay when setting #bail rather than relying on conventional bail schedules affixed to specific #crimes. Judges must also give increased consideration to alternatives like electronic monitoring. The presumption of incarceration is meant to end. The hard part will be changing their mindsets. Getting ready with the writs. https://www.mercurynews.com//california-supreme-court-rei/

The Los Angeles Times highlighted the importance of CACJ-sponsored bill #AB3070 up for vote. Hard to imagine a no vote for a law to stop the widespread banning of POC from juries. [For] racism to do its damage to individual defendants and to the integrity of our system of justice, it need not be blatant or explicit. Should Assembly Bill 3070 pass through the Senate in the next few days, it would protect potential jurors from being removed on the basis of race. You can read the LA Times editorial on AB 3070 here: https://www.latimes.com//attack-racism-in-criminal-proceed

You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself. Gov. Newsom’s recent nomination of Martin Jenkins to replace its most conservative justice on the California Supreme Court will be seen as both refreshing and restorative to many in the wake of recent political events. Judge Jenkins would not only be the third Black man to sit on the court, he would be the first openly gay man as well. Judge Jenkins is widely believed to be imminently qualified, enjoying both longs...tanding democratic and republican support. And for some, that's the problem. Jenkins, a 66 years old moderate, will be plucked out of retirement. The Trump administration has installed hundreds of youthful ultraconservatives to the federal bench, and Republican administrations have long understood the generational impact of the appointment of youthful justices to the Supreme Court, the Democrats still play to the middle. While Jenkins's appointment will signal an undeniable win for the #LGBTQ community, his actual impact may be less consequential for the state of California as a whole, and in a state as blue as this, many may see this appointment as a missed opportunity. Read more here: https://www.latimes.com//2020-10-/newsom-cal-supreme-court

It's crunch time for the @CACJ -sponsored bill #AB3070, which is making a third appearance in the #Senate today. CACJ has been in conversation with #California state #legislators #advocating for the bill, which protects potential jurors from being removed on the basis of race. The time has come to rid the criminal justice system of the scourge of racial bias and I intend to go the extra mile to see that this bill becomes law. You can read more about AB 3070 and other CACJ-sponsored legislation on the CACJ website: https://cacj.org/

Happy belated birthday, #19thAmendment! You don’t look a day over 100. But that’s exactly what you are. It has been only one hundred years (and a day) since the ratification of the #19thAmendment, which finally granted voting rights to women in the U.S. 100 years later, only 359 women in congress. That number, when compared to the 12,000 men was a step in the right direction, but there is much more to be done. For her birthday, I thinkthe 19th Amendment would like more women elected to office.

Racist trope much? The dean of Chapman Law School, John C. Eastman, manages to somehow eclipse his display of abject racism with an ironic display of a lack of legal acumen. One might guess he was angling for a way out of working.... https://www.latimes.com///2020-08-17/newsweek-racist-op-ed

Jeff Adachi, passed away too soon last year. He fought tirelessly and creatively to empower those without it, provide opportunity to those without it, and to protect the indigent from injustice. UC Hastings Law has set up The San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to students who have experienced obstacles restricting their access to academic opportunities and resources. For more information, or to donate: https://uchastings24024.thankyou4caring.org/jeff-adachi

It's been 5 years since the death of civil rights leader Julian Bond in 2015. In light of the #BLM movement and the issues of racism returning to the fore in this country today, opportunities to remember great leaders in the struggle for racial equality should not go unrecognized. Julian Bond was born into a prominent, activist African American family and carried that tradition on from his earliest days as a student. He was the youngest founding member of the Student Nonviole...nt Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Bond also won a seat in the Georgia General Assembly, had his name placed in nomination for Vice President at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, was a co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and was the longtime chairman of the NAACP. Later in life he served as the narrator of the 14-part award-winning PBS documentary series "Eyes on the Prize." At the time of his death, President Obama called Bond, "a hero and a friend." We would all do well to follow the example of Julian Bond. Rest in Peace. See more

Defendant [The DA Todd Spitzer’s] first argumentthat the complaint fails to allege a current programsuffers from the problem that the complaint repeatedly alleges a current program. https://voiceofoc.org//appeals-court-revives-lawsuit-alle/

This week I’ve been attending #NACDLAnnual, Breaking Through: Challenging Police Credibility, Misconduct, and Overreach. So excited to rejoin the nation's finest criminal defense #lawyers to discuss state #criminaljusticereform, and work with committees like #women in #criminal #defense, #membership and #corrections. #Tribe NACDL

Chief Justice Roberts's new procedure for oral arguments before the #USSC is to call on every justice in order of seniority via live-stream, including the typically silent Justice Clarence Thomas, for more order and transparency than the free-for-all inquiries of times past. The pandemic has had its silver linings. This is one. https://www.latimes.com//editorial-stop-experimenting-with

In a virtually unprecedented move, the top law enforcement official in the state, Attorney General Xavier Becarra, has recently joined in the effort to free our client, Chelsea Becker. I took on this murder case pro bono because I understood the far-reaching significance of this prosecution on women throughout the nation. To see this issue garner a national headline in the New York Times underscores that significance. We work on behalf of Ms. Becker and to protect women throughout California from prosecution for murder after a stillbirth. Read here for more: https://www.nytimes.com//chelsea-becker-california-stillbi