💡 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
🔎☝️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
🕵️♀️ 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
📌 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
🗣️ 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
The @aclusocal.bsky.social is spot on: Angelenos deserve better. DA Hochman claims to be a centrist. But in his first year he brought back the death penalty, opposed the #RacialJusticeAct and is using extreme charging practices.
www.aclusocal.org/publications...
🕊️ 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
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
Public defenders have been doing the heavy lifting on the #RacialJusticeAct for years—filing motions, uncovering bias, and fighting case by case. Anyone calling it “underused” hasn’t been paying attention.
www.latimes.com/opinion/lett...
🧑🏽💼 Public Defender Damon Silver:
“Labels like ‘gangs’ tap into deep fears & histories. They risk injustice.”
He commended the DA’s choice to dismiss the charges rather than retry.
More info & full text: sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-...
#RacialJusticeAct #RJA #PC745 #SystemicBias #CaRJA #CARJA
🧑🏽⚖️ Appellate Court Ruling
The 6th District ruled the conviction prejudicial:
“It is reasonably probable the outcome… would have been more favorable to Chavez in the absence of the error.”
More info & full text below and at the CA RJA Hub (Link in Bio)
#RacialJusticeAct #RJA #PC745 #SystemicBias
📌 Practice Note for RJA Litigators
This case highlights:
✅ Importance of cultural stereotyping claims under § 745(a)(1) & (2)
✅ Juror exclusion scrutiny
✅ Potential RJA retroactivity in capital habeas contexts
More info & full text ⬇️
#DueProcess #DeathRow #RacialJusticeAct #DeathPenalty #PC745
Defense Rebuttal
Stankewitz’s team pushes back:
➡️ RJA was designed precisely to revisit these injustices
➡️ Cultural context ≠ license to stereotype
➡️ RJA does not require race to be the sole factor
More info & full text below
#DueProcess #DeathRow #RacialJusticeAct #CARJA #DeathPenalty #PC745
⚖️ Prosecutorial Reply
Fresno County DA’s office opposes the RJA motion:
🔹 Argues no evidence of bias
🔹 Claims defense “opened the door” to cultural testimony
🔹 Asserts motion is untimely
More info & full text below
Visit the CA RJA Hub in bio
#DeathRow #RacialJusticeAct #RJA #DeathPenalty #PC745
California’s Longest-Serving Death Row Prisoner Brings RJA Challenge
Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz, incarcerated since 1978, has filed for relief under California’s Racial Justice Act—arguing that racial bias shaped his capital conviction and sentence.
#RacialJusticeAct #CARJA #DeathPenalty #PC745
📌Practice Tip for RJA Litigators:
If a former DA hears your RJA motion, consider:
✅ Asking for on-record disclosure of any prior involvement with your client
✅ Citing CJEO 2025-028 to frame your disqualification motion
More info & full text ⬇️
#RJA #PC745 #RacialJusticeAct #CARJA #JudicialEthics
👥 About CJEO
CJEO is an independent ethics advisory committee appointed by the CA Supreme Court.
Its formal opinions are nonbinding but widely respected and followed.
More info & full text ⬇️
#CJEO2025_028 #PC745 #RacialJusticeAct #CARJA #JudicialEthics
The act was passed five years ago, but it is very rarely put into effect due to the amount of money needed to access and gather data for cases.
Check out Chloe Taylor’s article on Scot Scoop!
#racialjusticeact #government #prison
scotscoop.com/opinion-the-...
📢 Disclosure is Key
CJEO: Judges who choose not to disqualify must disclose on the record any facts “reasonably relevant” to that determination.
That includes the judge’s own reasoning for staying on the case.
More info & full text ⬇️
#Transparency #RacialJusticeAct #PC745 #CARJA #JudicialEthics
⚖️ When Must a Judge Recuse?
➡️ If the judge prosecuted the defendant in the same or related case
➡️ If the judge’s former role creates a reasonable doubt about impartiality
➡️ Even if not disqualified, mandatory disclosure applies
More info & full text ⬇️
#CAJudiciary #RJA #PC745 #RacialJusticeAct
🚨 Case Spotlight: People v. Wagstaff (6th Dist. Ct. App.)
A judge called the Black defendant a “strong young buck” at sentencing. The AG conceded this violated the #RacialJusticeAct, yet the court refused relief—citing forfeiture.
Full write-up ⬇️ @ CA RJA Resource Hub
#CARJA #RJA #CAcourts #AB256
On 8/20, CPDA members Brendon Woods + Ellen McDonnell will be speaking on #AB1071, a critical bill favoring the #RacialJusticeAct. Woods is Public Defender for Alameda County, and McDonell is Contra Costa County Chief Public Defender. #EqualTreatmentUnderTheLaw Register: TinyUrl.com/AB1017Rally
Living Under an Injunction
“I was arrested for taking out the trash after 10 p.m.”
Being on a gang injunction meant curfews, bans on colors (even Dodgers gear), and family separation—for people never convicted of a crime.
RJA exists to fight this legacy.
#RJA #AB333 #OCDA #RacialJusticeAct #PC745
Legal Strategy Tip
RJA practitioners: Use gang injunction history as predicate evidence in future § 745 litigation—especially if the DA’s office has a pattern of targeting specific racial groups.
🧰Pair with AB 333 gang enhancement reforms for max effect.
#RJA #AB333 #OCDA #RacialJusticeAct #PC745
Racial Disparity in Enforcement
💬 “The injunctions only targeted Latino gangs—not white supremacist groups in OC,” said Sean Garcia-Leys, Peace & Justice Law Center.
Under § 745(a)(1), such racially selective enforcement is squarely within RJA territory.
#RJA #AB333 #RacialJusticeAct #PC745
🚨 RJA Pressure Works
After demand letters from the Peace & Justice Law Center citing RJA violations, Orange County DA Spitzer moved to dissolve 13 gang injunctions—some active since 2006.
💪 This is a major win for racial justice in SoCal.
#RJA #AB333 #OCDA #RacialJusticeAct #PC745
⚖️ Appellate RJA Strategy? Look to Singh.
✅ Use declarations to support prima facie showings.
✅ Request remand under § 745(d).
✅ Cite Singh to defeat forfeiture arguments.
❌ Don’t rely on trial silence—assert the RJA as early as possible.
🧠 Singh = roadmap for post-conviction
#RacialJusticeAct
Strategic Guidance
🛠️ Litigation Strategy Alert
Post-Bonds = key framework for:
🔹 Challenging “intent-only” RJA rulings
🔹 Admitting expert & statistical evidence
🔹 Filing writs when trial courts apply the wrong standard
🧵 Practitioners: Bookmark this case.
#RacialJusticeAct
⬇️ Stay Informed ⬇️
📄 Sanchez v. Superior Court
🤔 Can a defense attorney be disqualified for their own potential racial bias?
‼️ This landmark decision says yes ✅ —and sets new conflict-of-interest rules under California’s Racial Justice Act.
📚 Read more on the CA RJA Resource Hub
#RacialJusticeAct #RJA #LegalEthics
🔎 Litigating in Front of Former Prosecutors?
‼️CJEO Draft Formal Opinion 2025-028 says prior prosecutorial experience doesn't automatically disqualify judges in RJA cases.
🤔But if they shaped DA policies or prosecuted your client? You may have grounds to move for recusal.
#RacialJusticeAct #CalRJA
