Greg Hill & Associates

06/05/2026

On this Day in California Criminal Law History, the “Evans Motion” was born, establishing a criminal defendant’s right to a line up to test eyewitness identification, when the California Supreme Court decided Evans v. Superior Court (1974) 11 Cal. 3d 617, 114 Cal. Rptr. 121.

Police lineups are used to try to identify suspects in criminal cas...

06/04/2026

On this Day in U.S. Criminal Law (Fifth Amendment) History, the United States Supreme Court decided Illinois v. Perkins (1990) 496 U.S. 292, 110 S. Ct. 2394, holding that an inmate’s incriminating statements to an undercover police officer posing as an inmate are not inadmissible under the Fifth Amendment simply because Miranda warnings were not administered. Id., at 296. See also People v. Tate (2010) 49 Cal. 4th 635, 685.

Legal Issue: While in jail, Perkins admitted to a crime to another ...

06/03/2026

On the Day in Southern California Legal History Twelve Years Ago: On June 3, 2014, Amy N. Carter was elected as a judge. It is hard to believe it has been twelve years, as I remember her first day on the bench like it was perhaps three years ago.

She is currently assigned to Department G, a felony courtroom, in the Torrance Superior Court after spending several years presiding in Department 5 over a misdemeanor calendar.

She received both her bachelor’s degree and her law degree from the University of Iowa. She was admitted to practice law in California in December of 1996.

Prior to becoming a judge, she was a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County for 15 years. During that time. she served as a s*x crimes prosecutor and in 2012 was awarded the District Attorney of the Month award by the Association of Deputy District Attorneys.

We have spent a fair amount of time before her over the years. She is generally patient, respectful to everyone and approaches her work in a diligent manner, exactly as one would expect from a judge. She has been reversed on appeal in several of her rulings, so she is careful in every case.

06/02/2026

On this Day in U.S. Criminal Law History, the United States Supreme Court decided Boykin v. Alabama (1969) 395 U.S. 238, 23 L. Ed. 2d 271, 89 S. Ct. 1709, holding that a valid plea of guilty or no contest to a misdemeanor or felony charge requires a knowing and voluntary waiver of the right to a jury trial, the right to confront witnesses and the privilege against self-incrimination. California law on this issue echoed Boykin in In re Tahl (1969) 1 Cal. 3d 122, 81 Cal. Rptr. 577 on November 7 of the same year.

If you feel pressured into a plea, the court record matters more th...

06/01/2026

On This Day in U.S. Legal History, June 1, 1916, the United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Louis D. Brandeis to the U.S. Supreme Court, making him the first Jewish justice to serve on the nation's highest court.

Senior Individual Documentary for NHD 2017Taking A Stand in History

05/31/2026

This Day in Los Angeles Criminal History 83 Years Ago: On May 31, 1943, twelve sailors and soldiers clashed violently with Mexican American youths near downtown Los Angeles. Seaman Second Class Joe Dacy Coleman, U.S.N., was badly wounded. It was the start of the Zoot Suit Riots.

Sailors were often angry at those wearing Zoot Suits because of the excessive amount of fabric used, while seemed defiant in the time of wartime rationing of essential items, so fights often broke out.

05/30/2026

On this Day in Track and Field History, Steve Prefontaine passed away.

Steve Prefontaine highlights and interviews. This was made for non-...

05/29/2026

This Day in California Criminal History: On May 29, 2009, Phil Spector, then 69-year-old former music producer, was sentenced in Los Angeles to 19 years to life in prison for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson at his home in Alhambra. He passed away at age 81 on January 17, 2021. He otherwise was eligible for parole in 2025.

Spector is regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop music history for his “wall of sound” concept and as the first auteur among music artists for the unprecedented freedom and control he had over every phase of the recording process.

Spector remained free on $1 million bail while awaiting trial, which began on March 19, 2007. Presiding Judge Larry Paul Fidler in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center courthouse (formerly known as CCB) allowed the proceedings to be televised. On September 26, 2007, Fidler declared a mistrial because of a hung jury (ten to two for conviction).

The retrial of Spector for murder in the second degree began on October 20, 2008, with Judge Fidler again presiding; this time it was not televised. Spector was once again represented by attorney Jennifer Lee Barringer. The case went to the jury on March 26, 2009, and 18 days later, on April 13, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Additionally, Spector was found guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a crime, which added four years to the sentence. He was immediately taken into custody and, on May 29, 2009, was sentenced to 19 years to life in the California state prison system. He was an inmate at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, California before passing away in 2021.

the 2007 trial of Phil Spector documentary0:00 Intro (he hit me)01:34 Phil Spectors decline02:30 The Night in Question05:18 Phil Spector arrested06:55 Early ...

05/28/2026

On this Day in U.S. Legal History: Limits on the admissibility of “junk science” were imposed to prevent evidence of, for example, polygraph exam results that may not be accurate or testimony about hypnosis-induced confessions. On May 28, 1976, the California Supreme Court ruled in People v. Kelly (1976) 17 Cal. 3d 24 that the then new and emerging technique of speaker identification by spectrographic analysis, commonly described as "voiceprint" was inadmissible. The Supreme Court found that it had not achieved that degree of general scientific acceptance as a reliable identification device to permit its introduction of voiceprint evidence in California courts. The DA wanted to introduce this to identify defendant as the person engaging in extortion in violation of California law.

The other case that all criminal defense attorneys are familiar with is Frye u. United States (D.C. Cir. 1923) 293 F. 1013 54 App. D.C. 46, 34 A.L.R. 145, the second half of the “Kelly-Frye” scientific evidence evaluation.

Why Was 'junk Science' A Major Issue For Expert Witnesses? Have you ever wondered how scientific evidence is evaluated in court and why some evidence is acce...

05/27/2026

On this Day in California Criminal Law History: On May 27, 2011, the California Court of Appeal for the Second District (photo below) issued its ruling in People v. Carmona (2011) 195 Cal. App. 4th 1385, holding that a violation of Vehicle Code § 22107 (“turning without use of turn signal”) is a violation of the law only if the turning movement affects the safety of another driver. We have relied upon this holding many times in contesting the legality of a traffic stop based on an alleged violation of § 22107 in many types of cases, mostly DUI cases.