Case # 16NF2053
DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUCCESSFULLY ARGUES SENATE BILL 1437 AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
SANTA ANA, Calif. – On Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, during a hearing in the People v. Dejon Griffin and Aaron Jackson case, Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg L. Prickett heard arguments on the constitutionality of Senate Bill (SB) 1437, given that it lacks the two-thirds super majority of both bodies of the California Legislature. The Court found the Legislature was not free to enact SB 1437 except under the parameters of Article II, Section 10 for amending Proposition 7, or by the supermajority requirement of Proposition 115. This legislation was not enacted by either procedure and hence is invalid, therefore the Court declined to enforce SB 1437. Additionally, SB 1437 was ruled unconstitutional because it imposed the same requirement for aiders and abettors for murder as the death eligible special circumstance.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case. Deputy District Attorney Seton Hunt handled the motion. To read the entire People’s Brief on Whether SB 1437 is Constitutional and Judge Prickett’s Ruling on the Constitutionality of the Enactment of SB 1437, please visit www.orangecountyda.org and select Reports under the Reports pull-down menu.