Felon Voting Rights A California appellate court has ruled that felons who are in the county jail as a condition of probation do not lose their voting rights, according to a story by Bob Egelko in today's San Francisco Chronicle. The Court's opinion in League of Women Voters of California v. McPherson reversed an interpretation of state law by the California Attorney General. The AG opinion reasoned that a person in jail under such a "felony local" sentence was "imprisoned" for a felony, the requirement for disenfrachisement under the California Constitution.

Murder rates are up in many large American cities according to an Associated Press story by Karen Matthews. New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Cincinnati and Oakland were among those cities reporting an increase. Interestingly, homicide rates in Los Angeles and San Francisco are down.