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Criminal

Aug. 13, 2014

Clerks can file failure-to-appear complaints in traffic court, high court says

The state Supreme Court ruled that doing so does not violate the state's separation of powers doctrine.

By Kylie Reynolds

Daily Journal Staff Writer


Superior court clerks who file complaints for failure to appear in court with approval from prosecutors are not violating the state's separation of powers doctrine, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.


The case in question dates back to 2002, when a Los Angeles County Superior Court clerk automatically generated a misdemeanor complaint against Jewerelene Steen for willfully missing her court appearance over a traf...

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