Equal Justice Under Law recently brought a lawsuit on behalf of two women in the San Francisco area claiming that the current bail system is unjust. In the suit attorneys claimed that the bail system favors the wealthy and discriminates against the poor making it unconstitutional. The Washington D.C. civil rights group sought to have the case given class-action status but was denied in a District Court in Oakland. The defense was aided by celebrity Beth Chapman of TV’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” who spoke out against the proposed lawsuit stating that the real discrimination would happen to the victims of crimes who are not represented in this suit.
US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers noted that bail decisions are determined by Superior Court judges, denying the plaintiff’s arguments that bail orders are unconstitutional. Judge Rogers gave the Equal Justice Under Law attorneys 30 days to come up with a legitimate legal avenue to continue their case stating that the current “legal theory seems ambiguous and unformed.” She failed to find the arguments presented convincing stating that they “still have to do the legal analysis, and pontificating at the mike is not legal analysis.” While attorneys for the plaintiffs claim that this isn’t a setback for the case, the Judge adamantly denied their request questioning whether they even understood how the system worked. Lawyers for San Francisco and bail bond companies have sought to join the suit for the defense allowing their voice to be heard on the importance of bail and promoting public safety.