2 months ago
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Posts by California Racial Justice Act
Admissibility of Rap Lyrics and RJA Claims of Racial Bias
People v. Taylor offers one of the most detailed appellate discussions to date on how trial courts should handle the intersection of racially coded evidence—specifically rap lyrics—and RJA claims alleging racial bias in criminal proceedings.
2 months ago
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🔎Bottom line from People v. Guerrero & Navarro (2025):
The RJA won’t rescue claims that are:
• Procedurally unpreserved
• Factually underdeveloped
• Untethered to race-based causation
Preserve. Document. Substantiate.
Deep dive now live on the CA RJA Resource Hub ⬇️
#CaliforniaRacialJusticeAct
2 months ago
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📚 Guerrero & Navarro joins Lashon, Singh, Quintero & Wagstaff:
➡️ RJA claims not raised at trial are forfeited.
➡️ Allegations of bias require concrete proof — not inference.
See how the court applied §745(a)(1)-(2) in undercover contexts.
Full write-up → CA RJA Resource Hub
#PC745 #RJA #CrimLaw
2 months ago
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🧠 RJA Lesson: The statute is only as strong as the record you build.
In Guerrero & Navarro, the defense lost because:
❌ No trial-level RJA objection
❌ No evidence of racial animus or disparity
❌ Theory untethered to §745 standards
Strategic takeaways on the CA RJA Resource Hub ⬇️
#CaliforniaRJA
2 months ago
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⚖️ New on the CA RJA Resource Hub:
People v. Guerrero & Navarro (Unpub. 2025) clarifies:
• RJA forfeiture remains a hard bar on appeal
• “Same-race” undercover tactics alone don’t show bias
• Racialized slang must show animus or discriminatory impact
A must-read for trial lawyers below 👇
#RJA
2 months ago
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📌 RJA Practice Tip from People v. Guerrero & Navarro (2025):
Even post-AB 256, courts still strictly enforce:
✅ Timely RJA objections
✅ Factual record tying bias to race
❌ Novel theories without evidentiary support
Preserve early. Build the record.
Full case analysis → CA RJA Resource Hub #RJA
2 months ago
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Undercover Ops + RJA
🕵️♂️Can undercover tactics violate the RJA?
Guerrero & Navarro holds:
• Using Hispanic undercover officers ≠ racial bias (without proof)
• Casual gang slang (“n-word”) alone ≠ §745 violation
• Unpreserved RJA claims = forfeiture
Context + litigation lessons on the CA RJA Hub👇
2 months ago
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🚨 New RJA Case Drop: People v. Guerrero & Navarro (2d Dist. 2025)
Court rejects RJA claim as:
❌ Forfeited (not raised at trial)
❌ Substantively unsupported
Key takeaway: If you don’t preserve the RJA objection on the record, you likely lose it on appeal.
Full breakdown + practice tips ⬇️
#CARJA
2 months ago
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🧰 Practice takeaway: The Stanford–NAACP filings show how data-driven RJA petitions can expose sentencing disparities across counties.
📈 Use jurisdictional data.
📑 Anchor claims to § 745(b).
Read more below ⬇️
Stay informed on all RJA developments with the CA RJA Resource Hub (link in bio)
#RJA
2 months ago
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“The goal of the Racial Justice Act is to root out racism in all its forms — including systemic racism.” – Prof. Jody Armour, USC
18 new filings may finally push California courts to apply that promise to sentencing
Read below ⬇️ and stay updated at the CA RJA Resource Hub (link in bio)
#RJA #PC745
2 months ago
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People v. Phillips
Key takeaways for practitioners:
✅ No appealability for post-judgment RJA discovery
✅ Strict jurisdictional enforcement (Montgomery / Serrano)
✅ Good cause under §745(d) still requires race + case-specific linkage
✅ AB 1071 will shift discovery timing — but not appeal rights
2 months ago
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One petitioner, John Crawford, is serving 45 years to life for attempted second-degree robbery.
His RJA filing argues Black defendants in L.A. County face sentences 36% longer than similarly charged white defendants.
Read more ⬇️
#RJA #SentencingDisparities #CaliforniaRacialJusticeAct #PC745
3 months ago
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💡 Five years after the #RacialJusticeAct was passed, not one California judge has yet found disparate sentencing under PC 745(a)(4).
Now 18 new petitions aim to test the statute’s reach — and its promise to correct systemic bias.
Read more below ⬇️
#CARJA #CAcourts #JusticeReform #PC745 #RIA
3 months ago
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⚖️ Attorneys from Stanford Law’s Three Strikes Project & @NAACP_LDF filed 18 RJA petitions alleging racial disparities in CA sentencing.
In L.A. County, Black defendants are 13x more likely than white defendants to receive life sentences for attempted robbery.
Full story ⬇️
#RJA #CARJA #EqualJustice
3 months ago
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18 California inmates seek resentencing under the Racial Justice Act
For the first time, petitions filed across 5 counties allege gross racial disparities in sentencing under Three Strikes.
No CA judge has yet granted relief under the RJA sentencing provisions — this filing could change that. #RJA
3 months ago
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🔎☝️Systemic Perspective
“The race-blind charging study showed no difference,” says the DA.
Yet the ACLU’s data reveal deep disparities in who faces felony charges.
The fight over access to records will shape how California enforces its #RacialJusticeAct.
Full story below ⬇️
#CARJA #CAcourts #PC745
3 months ago
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🧾 The ACLU suit frames data transparency as essential to enforcing Penal Code § 745.
‼️ By denying disclosure, the complaint argues, the DA “weakens the public’s ability to monitor prosecutorial practices.”
⬇️ Full story below ⬇️
#CARJA #RJA #PublicRecords #PC745 #CaliforniaRacialJusticeAct #AB256
3 months ago
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Prosecutorial Discretion
⚖️ Who decides what counts as “fair”?
The ACLU says Santa Clara DA’s secrecy blocks public oversight of racial bias in charging.
The DA counters: disparities stem from systemic inequities, not prosecution.
#RJA #CAjustice #CaliforniaRacialJusticeAct
Full analysis below ⬇️
3 months ago
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‼️Data Disparities
📊According to the ACLU complaint:
• Latino residents = 25 % of county pop. → 53 % of felony prosecutions
• Black residents = 2 % → 13 % of felony prosecutions
⚖️The lawsuit seeks full disclosure to assess whether these gaps violate the #RJA.
Full details below ⬇️
#CARJA #Equity
3 months ago
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🕵️♀️ The #ACLU lawsuit against Santa Clara DA Jeff Rosen tests a core principle of the #RacialJusticeAct: public access to prosecutorial data.
Without transparency, “the law is just words on paper.” – Abdi Soltani
Read more linked below ⬇️
#CARJA #OpenData #CAcourts #PC745 #AB256 #Transparency #Equity
3 months ago
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People v. Taylor offers one of the most detailed appellate discussions to date on how trial courts should handle the intersection of racially coded evidence—specifically 🎤 rap lyrics—and RJA claims alleging racial bias in criminal proceedings.
🤓 Read all about this case at the CA RJA Resource Hub!
3 months ago
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⚖️ ACLU v. Santa Clara DA
The ACLU of Northern CA has sued DA Jeff Rosen for allegedly withholding records that could expose racial disparities in felony charging.
The suit argues Rosen’s refusal “subverts the Racial Justice Act’s purpose.”
Full write-up below ⬇️
#CARJA #RJA #Transparency #AB256
3 months ago
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📰 “The Racial Justice Act is a step forward — but not systemic change.”
Race Forward’s Alex Frank argues that California’s #RJA addresses individual bias but leaves structural inequities untouched.
Full article ⬇️
#CARJA #RacialJustice #CaliforniaRacialJusticeAct #AB2542 #AB256
3 months ago
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Why We Needed the RJA
In McCleskey v. Kemp (1987), SCOTUS ruled that statistical proof of racial disparities was not enough.
You had to show intentional discrimination.
That decision shut the courthouse doors for decades. The RJA rejects and changes this impossible standard.
#CaliforniaRJA #RJA
4 months ago
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Racial Justice Act: A Movement in California and Beyond
The CA Racial Justice Act (RJA) represents a significant effort to dismantle systemic racism in our courts.
However, it is also part of a global human rights demand: equal justice, without discrimination.
Let us break it down👇
#CaliforniaRJA
4 months ago
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📌 Practice Tips for RJA Litigators
✅ Challenge racialized use of music/creative works under § 745(a)
✅ Highlight prosecutorial framing in closing arguments
✅ Build appellate records challenging bias, even in older cases
More info & full text ⬇️
#CARJA #RacialJusticeAct #RJA #PC745 #SystemicBias
4 months ago
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🗣️ Chavez:
“I was attacked for where I grew up. The justice system is not fair. I would not have been here if it were.”
He continues advocating for RJA enforcement in Santa Clara County.
Stay updated at CA RJA Hub (link in account bio)
Full Text ⬇️
#CARJA #RacialJusticeAct #PC745 #SystemicBias
4 months ago
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🕊️ Chavez was released July 23, 2025.
He met his daughter for the first time.
He is now advocating for reforms and credit organizing by Silicon Valley De-Bug and support from grassroots communities.
More info & full text ⬇️
#CARJA #RacialJusticeAct #RJA #PC745 #SystemicBias #CaliforniaRJA
4 months ago
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Cultural Context ≠ Criminal Guilt
New laws (Evidence Code § 352.1) now limit the use of creative expression in criminal cases.
However, Chavez’s case highlights the legacy harm of such tactics before reforms were implemented.
More info & full text ⬇️
#CARJA #RacialJusticeAct #PC745 #SystemicBias
4 months ago
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