New California bill would limit gay panic defense
Here's something I haven't heard of before. In California, Assemblywoman Sally J. Lieber (shown) has authored Assembly Bill 1160, a bill which limits the use of the 'gay panic defense.' It passed the Assembly Committee on Public Safety along party lines too so it's moving forward. The defense strategy that has long been employed by some murder defendants who argue that they did not intentionally kill their victim - he or she just flew into such a rage upon learning that the victim was gay or transgender that the killing was actually the lesser offense of manslaughter. A.B. 1160 declares that it is against public policy for a defendant to play upon the bias of the jury, or for a jury to allow bias against the victim to enter into its decision-making. (Thanks Autumn)
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