Does Section 190.3 of the California Criminal Code require a trial court to instruct that certain sentencing factors (d), (e), (f) and (h) are relevant only as potential mitigators?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Amezcua, S133660 (Cal. 2019):

The trial court was not required to instruct that certain sentencing factors (specifically, section 190.3, factors (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), and (j) that are introduced by the phrase " 'whether

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or not' ") are relevant only as potential mitigators. (People v. Mendoza (2011) 52 Cal.4th 1056, 1097.)

The California sentencing scheme does not violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by denying capital defendants certain procedural safeguards afforded to noncapital defendants. (People v. Johnson, supra, 62 Cal.4th at p. 657.)

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