BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is applauding a ruling made yesterday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court that granted a temporary injunction ordering District Attorney George Gascón to cease unethical and unlawful policies that compel his attorneys to reduce or dismiss criminal charges in violation of state laws.
The decision by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant was a ruling on application for a preliminary injunction sought by the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County against George Gascón, the newly elected district attorney.
In his ruling, Judge Chalfant concluded that specific policies that Gascon imposed were illegal, that he could not demand deputy district attorneys to follow them because they were unlawful and that compelling his attorneys to engage in unlawful behavior exposed his own attorneys to ethical sanctions.
“The court’s ruling reinforces what had already become all too clear: that George Gascón has been commanding his deputy district attorneys to violate the law and their ethical duties since he took office, all for the benefit of ensuring that criminals receive the most lenient sentences possible,” Zimmer said in a news release. “In all the argument put forward by Gascón, the judge found that ‘there is not a single reference to a concern for victims in the sentencing process,’ and that most of Gascón’s directives fail to consider or even mention victims or their rights. This injunction is a win for everyone who values the rule of law, public safety, and the rights of crime victims.”
