Is a motion to dismiss a prior strike conviction reviewed for abuse of discretion?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Miller, B261220 (Cal. App. 2016):

A trial court's ruling denying a motion to dismiss a prior strike conviction is reviewed for abuse of discretion. (People v. Carmony, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 376 ["a trial court's failure to dismiss or strike a prior serious and/or violent felony conviction allegation under section 1385 should be reviewed for abuse of discretion"].) "In reviewing for abuse of discretion, we are guided by two fundamental precepts. First, '"[t]he burden is on the party attacking the sentence to clearly show that the sentencing decision was irrational or arbitrary. [Citation.] In the absence of such a showing, the trial court is presumed to have acted to achieve legitimate sentencing objectives, and its

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discretionary determination to impose a particular sentence will not be set aside on review."' [Citations.] Second, a '"decision will not be reversed merely because reasonable people might disagree. 'An appellate tribunal is neither authorized nor warranted in substituting its judgment for the judgment of the trial judge.'"' [Citations.].) Taken together, these precepts establish that a trial court does not abuse its discretion unless its decision is so irrational or arbitrary that no reasonable person could agree with it." (People v. Carmony, supra, 33 Cal.4th at pp. 376-377.)

3. Analysis

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