Free Republic

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County prosecutors asked a state court Wednesday to overturn former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's last-minute decision to slash the prison sentence for the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, his friend and political ally. The civil lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court is the latest fallout from the Republican governor's decision, which angered prosecutors, the victim's family and other Republicans. A day before his term ended in January, Schwarzenegger cut by more than half the sentence for Esteban Nunez, to 7 years from 16 years. The younger Nunez pleaded guilty in the 2008...

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sat down with Newsweek recently for one of the most extensive interviews since his January exit from office. Schwarzenegger addresses everything from criticisms of one of his final acts as the state's chief executive to his own body image in his post-bodybuilding days, saying the effect of aging on his 63-year-old physique makes him "feel sh--y when I look at myself in the mirror." Below are some excerpts from the more than 2,500-word piece. Read the full article at this link. On controversy surrounding his 11th hour decision to reduce the prison sentence for the son...

Arnold Schwarzeneger has admitted that his controversial decision to commute a jail term for a killer on his last day as governor of California was ‘to help a friend’. In an flippant outburst Schwarzenegger said that he ‘felt good’ about cutting nine years off the 16-year sentence for Esteban Nuñez, 20, even though it was a favour to his political ally father. He said he refused to apologise for his actions - and arrogantly mocked anyone who mistakenly believed his motives had been altruistic.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has rejected a recommendation to parole a member of Charles Manson's cult who was convicted of taking part in killings more than four decades ago. Bruce Davis is serving life sentences for two 1969 slayings, although he was not involved in the infamous murders by Manson followers of actress Sharon Tate and six others in Los Angeles. The governor in a letter made public on Monday reversed a January decision by the state parole board, saying the murders were "especially heinous." "I believe his release would pose an unreasonable risk of danger to society at this time,"...

Locked up in a state prison cell in Tracy, Alan Mann was so excited he had to put down his newspaper when he got word that Gov. Gray Davis had been tossed from office in the historic 2003 recall election. As a convicted felon serving a life sentence for killing his best buddy in a San Jose field in 1980, Mann couldn't vote. But he had more than a passing interest in seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger replace Davis -- ... snip ... For Mann and the 29,000 state inmates serving life sentences for murder and other serious crimes, there was virtually...

Robert F. Kennedy's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, comes up for parole again this week in a potential conflict for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is married to RFK's niece. Sirhan shot Kennedy to death at a Los Angeles hotel in 1968, minutes after the New York senator claimed victory in the California presidential primary. Sirhan received a death sentence, which was commuted to life in prison in 1972 when the California Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional. The assassin's parole hearing at Corcoran State Prison on Wednesday _ the 13th since his conviction and the first since Schwarzenegger's election in 2003...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to parole a convicted murderer who became an Episcopal priest while behind bars, according to a spokeswoman. The state parole board voted last October to release James Tramel, 38, who was convicted in 1986 of killing a homeless man in Santa Barbara. Schwarzenegger, who rejected parole for Tramel a year ago, declined this time around to review his case, said Julie Soderlund, an aide to the governor. If the case is not reviewed by the governor, the parole board's decision stands. Tramel is scheduled to be released Sunday, said the Rev. Richard Helmer,...

San Francisco -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday that he would consider granting clemency to Crips co-founder and convicted murderer Stanley Tookie Williams. After a private hearing with Williams' lawyers at his Sacramento office, Schwarzenegger said he would meet again on Dec. 8 with the lawyers, Los Angeles County prosecutors and others involved. As governor, he has the authority to commute a death sentence to life without parole. He is not legally obligated to hold a public or private hearing. Schwarzenegger decides clemency requests on a "case-by-case basis," . . .

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pardoned three men yesterday who were convicted of drug charges in the 1970s, marking the first state pardons in six years. The actions are a turnaround from the policy of Gov. Gray Davis, who never pardoned a convict during his 4½ years in office. Schwarzenegger has also been more aggressive than his predecessor at paroling convicted murderers and kidnappers, freeing dozens in his first year in office compared with the eight life-term inmates Davis paroled. The governor's office said in a statement the pardoned men, each 53 years old, had committed nonviolent crimes and rebounded by contributing...

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pardoned three men Wednesday who were convicted of drug charges in the 1970s, marking the first state pardons in the past six years. The actions mark a turnaround from the policy of Gov. Gray Davis, who never pardoned a convict during his 4½ years in office. Schwarzenegger has also been more aggressive than his predecessor at paroling convicted murderers and kidnappers, freeing dozens in his first year in office compared to the eight life-term inmates Davis paroled. The governor's office said in a statement that all three pardoned men, who are each 53 years old...

SACRAMENTO -- Reversing Gov. Gray Davis' near zero-tolerance policy against paroling convicted murderers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven to be 50 times more likely to give second chances to killers. Democrat Davis, in his five years in office, blocked all but six parole recommendations for killers and kidnappers, with two of the recommendations involving the same inmate. Republican Schwarzenegger, in office less than 12 months, has approved 60 parole recommendations from the state Board of Prison Terms for convicts guilty of the most serious crimes. That makes him, on average, 50 times more lenient than Davis. But Schwarzenegger aides dispute...