Supreme Court Issues Alternative Writ in Case of Ventura Snoring Dog Judge Nancy Ayers

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1 Met News Supreme Court Issues Alternative Writ in Case of Ventura Snoring Dog Judge Nancy Ayers The state Supreme Court yesterday issued an alternative writ of mandate in the case of Ventura Superior Court Judge Nancy Ayers. The high court, without dissent, ordered the Commission on Judicial Performance to either withdraw the stinger letter that it issued to Ayers for keeping a service dog she was training in her courtroom, or to explain by July 7 why it should not be ordered to do so. The commission said it acted in response to complaints by criminal defendants that proceedings had been disrupted by snores or other sounds from the dog, whom the judge kept at her feet. The judge denied the claim that the occasional sounds were disrupted, and presiding judges who allowed her to have the dog in court and attorneys who appeared before her have defended her. The commission argued in its opposition to the judge s writ petition that by having a dog in the courtroom, Ayers failed to to ensure that her judicial duties take precedence over all other activities. While her work with guide dogs is laudable, and it is appropriate that the dogs be trained in public facilities, the need for the judge to give undivided attention to proceedings renders it improper for Ayers to have the dog in court, the commission insisted. Full Article Here:

2 Daily Journal

3 The Recorder Viewpoint: In Stanford Sex Assault Case, System Worked Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky should be commended for showing mercy in sentencing former student-athlete Brock Turner to six months in jail and probation after a jury convicted Turner of three felony sexual assault charges in the January 2015 attack of a woman at Stanford. Here are eight reasons I'm defending this sentence. The culture of mass incarceration has warped our psyches into thinking that lengthy jail or prison terms are always the answer to criminal behaviors like sexual assault. They're not. This culture of mass incarceration has so shaped our minds that when a judge, like Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, undertakes a holistic sentencing analysis that accounts for both the victim and the convicted, we still insist on arbitrary, lengthy terms of incarceration as the response to crime. Mass incarceration is largely a result of judges who have either not utilized discretion in sentencing or who have been deprived by state legislatures of discretion. This lack of discretion has manifested in draconian sentences and overfilled prisons. Rather than using robotic, onesize-fits-all punishment schemes, we want judges, like Judge Persky, to engage in thoughtful, case-by-case, individualized determinations of the appropriate sentence for a particular crime and particular offender.

4 The Recorder Prosecutors Won't Fight Brock Turner's Six-Month Sentence The Santa Clara District Attorney s office will not challenge the six-month sentence imposed against Brock Turner, the former Stanford University student convicted on three felony sexual assault charges, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Spokeswoman Cynthia Sumida said the DA s office does not believe that Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky broke the law or abused his discretion in in his sentencing.she emphasized that the DA s office, which sought a six-year prison term for Turner, believes that Persky made the wrong decision. But she added: We don t believe that we have a basis to appeal or seek a writ in this case, though, because his decision was authorized by law and was made by applying the correct standards. Probation department officials recommended six months in county jail. Turner was convicted in March of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman who was unconscious behind a dumpster on campus. He was caught by two graduate students who detained him and called the police. The Recorder Lawmaker: If Persky Stays in Seat, Bench May Pay Price A state assemblyman has called on besieged Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky to resign over his sentencing of former Stanford University student Brock Turner and warned that "the bench" could face "very tough scrutiny" if he did not. Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, issued his threat in a series of tweets posted Thursday afternoon."persky should resign, to save the bench from what could be some very tough scrutiny. Judicial discretion must be used responsibly; he wasn't," wrote Gatto, who has a law degree and practiced at O'Melveny & Myers and Mayer Brown. "The people express their will through their elected representatives," Gatto continued. "We are all dismayed & very disappointed w. sentence in Brock Turner case." "I believe the Legislature is ready to use all of its constitutional powers to express society's disapproval of the sentence."gatto said he could "not just yet" elaborate "But 'all' means everything is on the table," he concluded

5 Met News Three Judicial Incumbents Win Easily, Four Open Seats Go to Runoffs All three of the Los Angeles Superior Court judges challenged in Tuesday s primary were reelected easily, as the four contests for open seats went to runoffs. Judges James Kaddo, Ray Santana, and Kathryn Solorzano polled 76, 78, and 74 percent, respectively. All three outspent their opponents, according to filed reports covering the period ending May 21. Kaddo defeated Stepan W. Baghdassarian, a sole practitioner and liquor distributor. Kaddo spent more than $35,000, and as a result of a large personal loan to the campaign had more than $85,000 remaining in his account. Any expenditure of those funds would not have to be reported until Aug. Baghdassarian did not file an electronic report. A candidate who did not raise or spend $25,000 or more is not required to file one. Incumbents Spending-- Santana reported spending more than $16,000 and having about $20,000 on hand, compared to $6,000 in spending and no cash on hand for opponent Eric Ibisi. Solorzano, who hired consultant David Gould, was clearly the big spender among the incumbents, spending $140,000 and having a little over $1,500 on hand. Her opponent, Tami L. Warren, had spent less than $32,000 and had a little over $5,000 left in the bank at the end of the pre-election reporting period. In the open seat contests: Deputy District Attorneys Debra Archuleta and Steven Schreiner will face each other in November after Deputy District Attorney Paul Kim and civil litigator Jonathan A. Malek were eliminated. Archuleta and Schreiner both spent heavily, and Archuleta was expected to do well as the only woman in the contest. Full Article here: