By Mani Dabiri | Published January 6, 2021 | Posted in Federal and State Criminal Defense, White-Collar and Regulatory Defense | Tagged Tags: dueprocess, pleabargaining |
Making a Splash
There’s a new district attorney in Los Angeles, you may have heard, and he’s making some changes. When George Gascon took the oath of office, he issued nine policy directives that will change the way his office carries out its important mission. We summarize each of them below. Bail and pretrial release. The office will Read More
Read MoreCalifornia Expands Employee Protections for Crime Victims
Under a new law, California employers may not discriminate or retaliate against employees who take time off to get a restraining order or seek other help for their health, safety, or welfare (or that of their child) as a victim of a crime. And employers must provide them reasonable accommodations for their safety upon request. Read More
Read MoreLAPD Tightens Policy on Consensual Searches
The L.A. Police Commission has unanimously approved a new policy under which officers who obtain your consent to a search must now prove up that consent by capturing you on camera or getting your signature on a form. It’s no longer enough to simply say that you consented verbally or through your behavior. The policy Read More
Read MoreUSDOJ Warms Up to Body-Worn Cameras on Joint Task Forces
Under a new policy, the Justice Department will let state and local officers on joint task forces use body-worn cameras in some cases. The policy follows a successful pilot program that ran in cities like Houston, Detroit, Wichita, and Salt Lake City over the last year. It is a response, in part, to the growing use Read More
Read MoreThe Due Process Protections Act
Last week, Congress passed a new law that sharpens a fundamental rule of fairness in our system: “In all criminal proceedings, on the first scheduled court date when both prosecutor and defense counsel are present, the judge shall issue an oral and written order … that confirms the disclosure obligation of the prosecutor under Brady v. Maryland, Read More
Read MoreCalifornia Broadens Its Family Rights Act
Attention, small businesses and their employees. This one’s for you. Beginning January 1, 2021, if you employ five or more people in the state, you must provide them up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave, upon request, so they may welcome a newborn or care for a sick family member. You don’t have to pay Read More
Read MoreAnything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)
Okay, so it’s not a competition. But Orange County has rolled out remote hearings for traffic tickets, too. We talked about L.A. two weeks ago. But O.C. launched its own service at the same time, and they’ve got video. If you already had a hearing scheduled, it’ll be rescheduled and held remotely, and they’ll show you how. Read More
Read MoreL.A. Rolls Out Remote Hearings for Traffic Tickets
How’s this for useful information? Now, if you have a court date scheduled on or after September 14, you don’t have to go to court. You can appear by phone. And you can do it for traffic tickets as well as non-traffic infractions. But you can’t do it if you’re appearing for trial or you Read More
Read MoreL.A. Goes Remote for Civil and Criminal Cases
As of August 10, every criminal courtroom in the L.A. Superior Court is equipped to hold hearings by audio- or video-conference. You just need the judge’s approval and the defendant’s consent. The same goes, more or less, for family-law matters. In restraining-order or contempt proceedings, you can now appear by audio or video. For all other matters, it’s Read More
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