United States Ninth Circuit

The Crime Victims' Rights Act gives victims the right to allocute at sentencing. A petition for writ of mandamus brought by a victim in an underlying criminal proceeding is granted where the district court erred in refusing to allow certain victims to speak at an underlying defendant's sentencing hearing.

Appellate Information

• Argued 01/11/2006
• Decided 01/20/2006
• Published 01/20/2006

Judges

• Before GOODWIN, FRIEDMAN and KOZINSKI, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Steven J. Twist, Scottsdale, AZ;  Keli B. Luther, Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project, Tempe, AZ;  John A. Case, Jr., Law Offices of John A. Case, Jr., Los Angeles, CA;  for Petitioner., Viet D. Dinh, Wendy J. Keefer, Bancroft Associates PLLC, Washington, DC;  Richard Stone, Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., Los Angeles, CA;  H. Christopher Bartolomucci, Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., Washington, DC;  for Amici Curiae United States Senators Jon Kyl and Dianne Feinstein., Assistant United States Attorney R. Stephen Kramer was present at oral argument on behalf of the United States and answered questions, but did not file a brief or take a position on the merits.


• For Appellees:
  
• The HonorableJohn F. Walter, Los Angeles, CA, Respondent.