A Yolo County Superior Court judge struck special circumstance allegations against two Black defendants charged with murder, determining a violation of California’s Racial Justice Act. The ruling concluded the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office failed to provide race-neutral explanations for disparities in how special circumstance allegations were pursued.
An accused individual in Yolo County Superior Court accepted an eight-year prison sentence, resolving all pending litigation through an agreement that stipulated the withdrawal of a petition filed under California’s Racial Justice Act and the removal of a gang enhancement and a vandalism charge from the record.
The California Supreme Court reversed the death sentence of Anthony Bankston, a Los Angeles Bloods gang member convicted of a 1991 murder, citing racial bias. The court found a prosecutor’s comparison of Bankston to a “dangerous animal” during the penalty phase violated the 2020 Racial Justice Act. This ruling marks the first time a death sentence has been overturned under the Act, though Bankston’s murder conviction remains.
The California Superior Court of Alameda County vacated Franklin Lynch’s death sentence and conviction due to violations of the state’s Racial Justice Act, finding that Assistant District Attorney James Anderson engaged in racially biased conduct during Lynch’s trial.
During a racial justice hearing in Yolo County Superior Court, a law professor testified that the prosecutor used dehumanizing and racially charged language when describing the events of an alleged gang-related killing of a man, including using animal imagery and the N-word over 100 times.
A California Court of Appeal granted relief to a petitioner after ruling that the trial court applied the wrong legal standard in denying his request for appointed counsel under the California Racial Justice Act.
Kevin Cooper, who has been on California’s death row for 42 years, maintains his innocence and is seeking a new trial based on alleged evidence tampering, destruction and withholding, as well as racial bias in his prosecution and appeals.
California’s Racial Justice Act was designed to force courts to confront racial harms, but the judiciary has demonstrated how racism evolves within legal procedure by using modern procedural tools to insulate racially tainted convictions.
The California Racial Justice Act (RJA) is a meaningful step toward addressing racial discrimination in the criminal legal system, but remains inadequate as a tool for confronting deeply rooted structural inequities, according to Alex Frank, Race Forward’s Director of Root Solutions for Public Safety.
The ACLU of Southern California has released a report criticizing Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s first year in office, citing his reinstatement of the death penalty, support for punitive practices, and opposition to racial justice protections and diversion programs.
The ACLU of Northern California has filed a lawsuit against Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, accusing his office of withholding records that could reveal racial disparities in felony charging decisions, and is seeking to have the full set of records released.
Judge Tom Dyer postponed a habeas corpus case in Yolo County Superior Court due to a lack of discovery and difficulty communicating with the accused, rescheduling it for December 5, 2025.
The passage of AB 1071 in California has confirmed the existence of racial bias and judicial resistance in the state’s justice system, and has given the People the tools to demand compliance with the law and uphold the sovereignty of the People.
A judge ruled that Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson’s decision to withdraw a resentencing motion was not politically motivated, despite defense attorneys’ claims that the move represents a retreat from efforts to confront prosecutorial misconduct in the county’s death penalty cases.
Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz, California’s longest-serving individual on death row, is seeking relief under the California Racial Justice Act, arguing that racial bias tainted his conviction and sentence in a case that has kept him incarcerated since 1978.
Attorney Alexandra Cock has uncovered disturbing patterns of official misconduct, evidentiary irregularities, and racial bias in the case of Chief Douglas Stankewitz, who has been in prison for nearly half a century.
Alexandra Cock argues Stankewitz’s innocence and seeks justice after 47 years. Nearly half a century after Chief…
WOODLAND, CA – Deputy Public Defender Sara Johnson pointed out “dehumanizing” treatment of the accused, who was…
ORONO, ME – A recent NC Newsline Opinion Commentary by Dannel Malloy, the former governor of Connecticut…
Judge Finds Implicit Bias in Police Testimony, Grants Relief to Black Defendant SAN FRANCISCO – In a…