California Supreme Court Rules To End Cash Bail For Some Defendants Who Cannot Afford It

March 27, 2021 2:31 amMarch 29, 2021 10:32 am

The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that judges must consider an arrestee’s ability to pay bail, and may not hold them solely because they couldn’t afford bail. In a unanimous decision, Associate Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar wrote on behalf of the...

Why Are So Many Politicians Trying to Outlaw Bail?

February 10, 2020 2:42 pmFebruary 11, 2020 8:59 am

In August 2018, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 10 into law, ostensibly to reform the cash bail system. However, Before SB 10 could have gone into effect, Californians Against the Reckless Bail Scheme fought the legislation on two points:...

Federal Judge Rules on San Francisco Settlement to Eliminate Cash Bail Ahead of 2020 Ballot Initiative

September 1, 2019 9:01 amSeptember 4, 2019 8:55 am

Once again, officials in California are taking the law into their own hands. San Francisco Sheriff Vicki Hennessy and national law nonprofit Equal Justice Under Law have reached a settlement to eliminate the cash bail schedule in San Francisco. The...

California Supreme Court Is Implementing Bail Reform Act Prior to 2020 Ballot Initiative

August 29, 2019 7:45 amAugust 30, 2019 7:43 am

The California Supreme Court has already started to implement the policies of Senate Bill 10, The California Bail Reform Act, which would have taken effect on Oct. 1, 2019, and eliminates the cash bail system. But they jumped the gun....

U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Constitutionality of Bail, But CA Still In Legal Bail Limbo

April 3, 2019 3:15 pmApril 5, 2019 7:57 am

For four years activist Plaintiffs lawyers have been suing smaller cities arguing that the existing bail system is unconstitutional because it violates the principle of equal protection under the law. In San Francisco, such a lawsuit claims, ““Wealthy arrestees purchase...