California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) Statement on the Raid of Journalist Bryan Carmody
SACRAMENTO, CA-California Attorneys for Criminal Justice President Jacqueline Goodman issued the following statement on the police raids of the home of San Francisco journalist Bryan Carmody:
"We strongly condemn the latest police action in the raid on journalist Bryan Carmody’s home. Such authoritarian action, if not forcefully denounced, adds to an already dangerous climate of diminution of the press and the continued erosion of our vital 4th Amendment freedoms against unreasonable and unwarranted search and seizure. This is also a direct attack on 1st Amendment protections at a time when these rights are more critical than ever.
The actions of SFPD trample on constitutional rights and ignore available and well-established legal protocols for investigations, which has resulted in a dangerous precedent. Left unchecked, the actions of the SFPD in the wake of Adachi's passing would constitute a tremendous loss of hard-won rights for the people San Francisco, the State of California and our nation as a whole. All of us in the legal community must denounce the SFPD for their illegal actions, first in the initial handling of the death of Adachi, and now, in their attack on the free press. Jeff Adachi himself would demand no less."
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California Attorneys for Criminal Justice membership includes both attorneys and associated professionals throughout California and in other states. CACJ works to defend the rights of persons as guaranteed by the United States Constitution, the Constitution of the State of California and other applicable law, preserve due process and equal protection of the law for the benefit of all persons, enhance the ability of its members to discharge their professional responsibilities through educational programs, publications and mutual assistance, and protect and foster the independence of the criminal defense lawyer and to improve the quality of the administration of criminal law.
"We strongly condemn the latest police action in the raid on journalist Bryan Carmody’s home. Such authoritarian action, if not forcefully denounced, adds to an already dangerous climate of diminution of the press and the continued erosion of our vital 4th Amendment freedoms against unreasonable and unwarranted search and seizure. This is also a direct attack on 1st Amendment protections at a time when these rights are more critical than ever.
The actions of SFPD trample on constitutional rights and ignore available and well-established legal protocols for investigations, which has resulted in a dangerous precedent. Left unchecked, the actions of the SFPD in the wake of Adachi's passing would constitute a tremendous loss of hard-won rights for the people San Francisco, the State of California and our nation as a whole. All of us in the legal community must denounce the SFPD for their illegal actions, first in the initial handling of the death of Adachi, and now, in their attack on the free press. Jeff Adachi himself would demand no less."
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California Attorneys for Criminal Justice membership includes both attorneys and associated professionals throughout California and in other states. CACJ works to defend the rights of persons as guaranteed by the United States Constitution, the Constitution of the State of California and other applicable law, preserve due process and equal protection of the law for the benefit of all persons, enhance the ability of its members to discharge their professional responsibilities through educational programs, publications and mutual assistance, and protect and foster the independence of the criminal defense lawyer and to improve the quality of the administration of criminal law.