California Court of Appeal

In an action involving five habeus corpus petitions, trial court order finding that section 2402 (c) of the Code of Regulations on parole hearings is unconstitutionally vague and that the Board of Parole Hearings violated the separation of powers doctrine is reversed where in evaluating how parole regulations are applied by the Board, the court failed to construe the regulations as a whole and how they interrelate to support the Board's conclusion that the inmate is currently dangerous to society. The matter is remanded for consideration on the merits of the individual habeas petitions and whether the facts are probative to the central issue of current dangerousness when considered in light of the full record.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/13/2009
• Published 03/13/2009

Judges

• PREMO, J.

Court

• California Court of Appeal

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Edmund G. Brown Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Anya M. Binsacca, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Denise A. Yates, Deputy Attorney General, for Petitioner D. Sisto, as Warden etc. (No. H032044)., Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Anya M. Binsacca, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Denise A. Yates, Deputy Attorney General, Scott C. Maher, Deputy Attorney General, for Petitioner D. Sisto, as Warden etc. (No. H032045)., Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Anya M. Binsacca, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Denise A. Yates, Deputy Attorney General, for Petitioner Ben Curry, as Warden etc. (No. H032046)., Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Anya M. Binsacca, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Denise A. Yates, Deputy Attorney General, Scott C. Maher, Deputy Attorney General, for Petitioner Ben Curry, as Warden etc. (No. H032047)., Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Anya M. Binsacca, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Denise A. Yates, Deputy Attorney General, for Petitioner James D. Hartley, as Warden etc. (No. H032048).


• For Appellees:
  
• Heather J. MacKay, Oakland, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Respondent Donald Ray Lewis., Jacob Burland, Del Mar, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Respondent Morris L. Bragg., Keith Wattley, Under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Respondent Viet Mike Ngo., Michael Satris, Bolinas, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Respondent Donnell Eugene Jameison., Barbara B. Fargo, San Jose, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Respondent Arthur S. Criscione.