Downtown, Los Angeles–Serious controversy is brewing in the Los Angeles District Attorneys office. This week, the Los Angeles Prosecutors Union filed a lawsuit to block reforms by L.A’s new District Attorney, George Gascon. Anyone who is serious about prison and policing reform, applauds Gascon’s new reforms on youth offenders, ending cash bail, three strike laws, as well as gang and other enhancements on charges.
Gascon went to work immediately after being sworn in, issuing directives his first day in office. Since then, however, he has come under heavy criticism from police unions as well as many prosecutors in the Los Angeles District Attorneys office, who are calling Gascon’s actions illegal.
The Union also filed documents for a temporary restraining order to prohibit Gascon from what they view as placing his “personally-held views” above the law.
“Los Angeles County prosecutors have been placed in an impossible position. Do we follow our legal and ethical responsibilities and risk getting disciplined, even fired, by our new boss? Or do we follow his policy directives and risk losing our California State Bar Cards and, by extension, our ability to practice law anywhere in the state? We’re asking a court to answer those questions,” stated ADDA Vice President Eric Siddall,”(LAADDA).
Families of victims in Los Angeles County are among those who are upset with Gascon, who has in turn attempted to update his reforms on enhancements.
Read The Lawsuit in Full Here: https://www.laadda.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2020.12.29-Writ-Petition.pdf
“The District Attorney of Los Angeles County is a local executive branch official, with a duty to carry out laws enacted by the voters or the legislature. He is not a legislative body unto himself. The restraining order being sought asks the judiciary to prohibit the elected District Attorney from putting his personally-held views as to which laws are or are not good policy, or which are or are not constitutional above the laws enacted by the state legislature and by the voters— laws which have been upheld as constitutional by our state courts for decades.
Read More: LA County prosecutors’ union files civil lawsuit over DA Gascon’s new directives
Video: KRON 4
