Orange County federal judge dismisses criminal cases over lack of jury trials
U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, pictured in 2018.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
By Meghann M. Cuniff
Print
On what would be the first of three occasions in three days, U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney looked into his computer screen one recent January morning and apologized to a criminal defendant for the courthouse’s pandemic-related prohibition on in-person hearings. Then he repeated a move that had already drawn sharp objection from federal prosecutors: He announced the dismissal of all charges, part of a constitutional stance he said has left him feeling isolated and frustrated.