Gascon s spokesman acknowledged the union action but declined to comment, referring questions to the LA County Counsel s Office.
Almost simultaneously an unsolicited statement was sent to reporters by the UC Berkeley Law School s Three Strikes Project that said, We are confident this attempt to obstruct the will of the voters will be struck down.
The Berkeley statement, quoting law school dean Erwin Chemerinsky and director of the Three Strikes Project Michael Romano, said that DA Association s action shows it has a longstanding opposition to reform. DA Gascon s policies will enhance health and safety in Los Angeles and begin a much needed process to reduce epidemic levels of mass incarceration, the statement said.
By City News Service
Close-up Of Gavel And Justice Scale
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The union representing Los Angeles County prosecutors filed a civil lawsuit today challenging newly seated District Attorney George Gascon s directives to eliminate three-strikes allegations and some sentencing enhancements, alleging that they are “unlawful.
The Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County contends that the directives handed down the day the county s top prosecutor was sworn into office just over three weeks ago violate state law.
A directive that calls for dismissing, withdrawing or not filing special circumstance allegations that could result in a life prison sentence without the possibility of parole for defendants charged with murder is among those targeted in the lawsuit, which also challenges Gascon s directive to dismiss gang enhancements and firearm allegations that can add more time to prison sentences.
Prosecutors union files civil lawsuit over Gascón s new directives
Prosecutorsâ union files civil lawsuit over Gascónâs new directives
The union representing Los Angeles County prosecutors filed a lawsuit against District Attorney George Gascón, alleging that his special directives to get rid of sentencing enhancements and strikes are violating the state law.
LOS ANGELES - The union representing Los Angeles County prosecutors filed a lawsuit against District Attorney George Gascón, alleging that his special directives to get rid of sentencing enhancements and strikes are violating the state law.
Now, the union is asking a judge to step and put a stop to Gascón s sweeping policy changes.
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On his first day in office, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced sweeping changes that he promised would dramatically alter how justice is delivered in the county.
But in the week since his heady proclamations, Gascón’s reform plans have been met with resistance from judges, his own prosecutors and crime victims, who are challenging both the ethics of his vision and whether he has the authority to carry out one of its main components.
That Gascón has run into pushback comes as no surprise, as a clash between his progressive agenda and more traditional law enforcement strategies seemed inevitable. But the friction has heated up with startling speed and intensity, affording the district attorney no honeymoon period as he tries to reimagine how an office that files more than 100,000 criminal cases each year carries out its mission.
George Gascón s plans to overhaul prosecutions meets early resistance from judges, others yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.