Month: June 2015

In November of 2014 Proposition 47 passed giving certain low-level, nonviolent felony convictions the opportunity to be reduced to misdemeanors on old criminal records. The law itself reclassified several categories of theft and drug possession crimes from felonies or “wobblers” (crimes that can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor) to straight misdemeanors. Prop 47 is a benefit to…

Facebook and other social media can be fun and informative. It can also be abused and abusive. Where is the line drawn? When is it protected free speech and when does it become a criminal threat? The United States Supreme Court weighed in on that question in Elonis v United States (decided June 1, 2015). In this case, Mr. Elonis sent a…