What is the burden of proving that section 667 of the California Criminal Code is constitutional?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Smith, 206 Cal.App.3d 599, 253 Cal.Rptr. 673 (Cal. App. 1988):

There is a presumption that legislation is constitutional, and the party who attacks a classification as unconstitutional bears the burden of [206 Cal.App.3d 602] demonstrating its arbitrariness. (Board of Education v. Watson (1966) 63 Cal.2d 829, 833, 48 Cal.Rptr. 481, 409 P.2d 481.) A person who claims a denial of equal protection must

Page 675

People v. Jacobs (1984) 157 Cal.App.3d 797, 204 Cal.Rptr. 234 is illustrative. Defendant in Jacobs argued that section 667 denied him equal protection because its five-year enhancement is inapplicable to defendants who are not recidivists or who are charged with crimes not enumerated in that section. The court rejected that argument, reasoning that the defendant was not similarly situated with first-time offenders or with persons convicted of other crimes. Instead, defendant was in a special class of persons, i.e., those convicted of a serious felony who had previously been convicted of a serious felony. As all such recidivist serious offenders were subject to the five-year enhancement, there was no equal protection violation. (Id., at pp. 802-805, 204 Cal.Rptr. 234.)

Other Questions


Can a defendant be found to have committed a single physical act for purposes of section 654 of the California Criminal Code, Section 215 of the Code of Civil Procedure, Section 422 of the Criminal Code for carjacking? (California, United States of America)
Does section 667 of the California Criminal Code prohibit the District Attorney from invoking section 654 of the Criminal Code to strike a prior conviction enhancement under Section 667? (California, United States of America)
Does section 27 of the California Criminal Code, section 778a, subdivision (a)(1) of the Criminal Code of California apply to a defendant who is charged with a charge of conspiracy to commit a crime committed outside of the state? (California, United States of America)
What constitutes a substantive offense under Section 186.22 of the California Criminal Code for "participating in any criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in criminal gang activity"? (California, United States of America)
Is section 28, subdivision (d) of the California Constitution harmonized with section I, article I, section 15 of the constitution with respect to self-incrimination? (California, United States of America)
Does a defendant have to prove he was a member of a criminal gang prior to the charged crime under section 186.22, subdivision (e) of the California Criminal Code? (California, United States of America)
Does the Attorney General's sentencing error under section 667.5, subdivision (a) of the California Criminal Code apply to recidivism enhancements under sections 667 and 667 of the Criminal Code? (California, United States of America)
What is the effect of using section 654 rather than section 667.6 of the California Criminal Code when rejecting a defendant's claim that three criminal offences arose from the same incident? (California, United States of America)
Can a defendant be convicted of both counts of membership of a criminal street gang and a charge of criminal activity under section 654 of the California Criminal Code? (California, United States of America)
Does Section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1)(1) of the California Criminal Code apply to a person convicted of a criminal street crime committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang? (California, United States of America)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.