California Supreme Court’s Gang Law Rulings Threaten to Weaken Public Safety and Undermine Justice

Last week, the California Supreme Court issued two controversial decisions that could unravel decades of sentencing enhancements designed to combat dangerous gang activity. These rulings apply tougher evidentiary standards retroactively to past convictions under a 2021 law that tightened definitions around "criminal street gang activity." While the court frames this as a legal correction, the real-world consequences could be profound—and not for the better.Are Public Safety and Victims’ Rights Being Sacrificed to Legal Technicalities?One ruling vacated prior gang-related "strikes" on criminal records, potentially allowing convicted violent offenders to avoid enhanced sentences under the state’s notorious “three strikes” law. Larry Fletcher...