United States Ninth Circuit

California Penal Code section 148.6 impermissibly discriminates on the basis of a speaker-s viewpoint in violation of the First Amendment since it leaves unregulated knowingly false speech supportive of peace officers; defendant's conviction for filing a knowingly false complaint of peace officer misconduct is therefore reversed.

Appellate Information

• Argued 12/06/2004
• Decided 11/03/2005
• Published 11/03/2005

Judges

• PREGERSON, Circuit Judge:, Before: HUG, PREGERSON, and BERZON, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Walter K. Pyle, Berkeley, CA, for the petitioner-appellant., Mark D. Rosenbaum (argued), Alan L. Schlosser, Los Angeles, CA, and Daniel P. Tokaji (briefed), Columbus, OH, for ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, ACLU of Southern California and ACLU of Northern California., Everett L. Bobbitt (briefed), Bobbitt & Pinckard, San Diego, CA, for El Cajon Police Officers Assn., San Diego County Deputy Sheriff's Assoc. and San Diego Police Officers Assn., Michael D. Schwartz (briefed), Ventura, CA, for California District Attorney's Assoc., Christopher D. Lockwood (argued), Joseph Arias (briefed), Arias, Lockwood & Gray, San Bernardino, CA, for City of San Bernardino., Alison Berry Wilkinson (briefed), Rains, Lucia & Wilkinson, Pleasant Valley, CA, for Peace Officers Research Assoc. of California Legal Defense Fund., Kent S. Scheidegger (briefed), Sacramento, CA, for Criminal Justice Legal Foundation., Michael R. Capizzi (argued), Krista McNevin Jee (briefed), Fullerton, CA, for California State Sheriff's Assn., California Police Chief's Assn. and California Peace Officers Assn.


• For Appellees:
  
• Kelly M. Rand, Deputy District Attorney, San Diego, CA, for the respondents-appellees.