"No rush to judgment for Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris," is by Maura Dolan of the Los Angeles Times.
Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris, California's top law enforcement officer, had little to say in July when an Orange County federal judge declared the state's death penalty system unconstitutional.
Several weeks later, Harris announced that she would challenge the decision, but her reasoning was curious: The ruling, she said, "undermines important protections that our courts provide to defendants."
That she delayed making her views known — and then used a liberal justification to explain a response sought by conservatives — has fueled a perception that Harris is reluctant to stake out positions on controversial issues.
"There is a tension in her office between leaping and being a little bit careful about where you jump," said consumer activist Jamie Court. "I do think that you have to leap in sometimes if you want to create big change." She definitely does not suffer from the disease of shooting first and asking later. She doesn't like to react off the cuff or to think out loud in a public way. - Chief Deputy Atty. Gen. Nathan Barankin.
Earlier coverage from California begins at the link. You can also jump to news of Judge Judge Cormac J. Carney's ruling in Jones v Chappell.
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