California Guide to Criminal Evidence 2024-25 (8th edition)

Abstract

This treatise is used by attorneys and judges throughout California as a comprehensive resource on evidentiary and constitutional issues. It is unique in its approach with numerous checklists, courtroom scripts and easy-reference charts.

RELEASE DATE: January 15th, 2025
(Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for for print edition to arrive after above release date.)

eBook edition (no subscription required) on Google Books for promotional price of $99. ( < -- Click for free preview with desktop access and mobile use anywhere with free Google Play Books app for Apple and Android devices.)

The California Guide to Criminal Evidence, currently in its 8th edition, is the one publication in California that provides a systematic approach for practitioners and judicial officers to efficiently address evidentiary and constitutional issues during a trial or motion hearing. Complete with federal and state case and statutory law, legal commentary, and comprehensive easy-to-access flowcharts and tables, the California Guide to Criminal Evidence is the primary resource a litigator will need to accurately resolve complex evidentiary or constitutional questions, and effectively introduce an item for admission into evidence – and get it admitted by the court. It is also functional and compact in that it was created to be brought to court along with counsel’s trial binder and materials to be used when quick answers are required concerning evidentiary matters.

The California Guide to Criminal Evidence was designed as a practice guide to assist attorneys navigate through the maze of legal issues that surface during a proceeding with ease, speed, and precision. Although organized with a criminal law emphasis, the California Guide to Criminal Law Evidence has been widely used by both civil and criminal law practitioners, judges, and law professors. Unlike other evidence treatises on the market, the California Guide to Criminal Evidence was written for new and experienced litigators, complete with in-depth legal analysis and commentary, practice charts and tables, sample scripts, and scholarly and practical insight from an experienced criminal and civil trial judge. It highlights what judges look for and expect from counsel when seeking to introduce specific items of evidence for admission – and how to respond to a judge’s questions swiftly, concisely, and with applicable legal reasoning.

While other books on the market cover evidence and constitutional issues separately, the California Guide to Criminal Evidence does both – for one affordable price far below the cost of other texts offering less content. And while competitor publications focus primarily on California state cases, the California Guide to Criminal Evidence contains a comprehensive examination of the Federal Rules of Evidence and U.S. Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decisions. And the California Guide to Criminal Evidence can be purchased in print version or eBook format. There is simply no equal to this unique practice resource on the market today.

The California Guide to Criminal Evidence is organized in two distinct parts.
Part 1 is a comprehensive discussion and analysis of the Evidence Code, the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and all relevant case and statutory law. The discussion is organized to give the practitioner a practical and step-by-step methodology to assess the admissibility of evidence in a criminal trial or hearing. This approach requires the practitioner to address the following questions whenever the admissibility of evidence is in issue:

* Chapter 1: Relevance. Is the evidence relevant?
* Chapter 2: Foundation. Can the necessary foundation be established for the evidence?
* Chapter 3: Hearsay. Does the evidence constitute hearsay and, if so, does it fall within a recognized exception to the hearsay rule?
* Chapter 4: Statutory Limits on Particular Evidence. Is the evidence subject to exclusion or limitation under evidentiary rules related to character evidence, impeachment, or privilege?
* Chapter 5: Exclusion of Evidence on Constitutional Grounds. Is the evidence subject to exclusion under the Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
* Chapter 6: Discretionary Exclusion Under Evid. C. §352. Can the evidence survive exclusion under Evidence Code §352?
* Chapter 7: Preliminary Fact Determinations. Does the admissibility of a particular item of evidence depend on the existence or nonexistence of some other fact?
* Chapter 8: Burdens & Presumptions. Are there any burdens of proof or presumptions applicable to a fact or issue in the case?

Part 2 provides an assortment of charts and tables to assist the practitioner in addressing the evidentiary issues discussed in Part 1 quickly and effectively in the courtroom. These charts and tables cover topics such as evidentiary objections, hearsay exceptions, character evidence, privileges, and numerous issues under the U.S. Constitution.

REVIEWS and WORDS OF PRAISE

What took us several hours of research in the law library, this book succinctly and accurately summarized. It’s hard to imagine a criminal trial lawyer not having this useful guide in his trial briefcase.
--James Campbell, Esq., Campbell & DeMetrick, PLC, San Francisco, Past President of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers Former Dean of the Nat’l College of DUI Defense

The book gives quick and reliable answers to all evidence questions, demonstrating what is admissible, what is not, and the hows and whys of using the rules of evidence to win cases. All busy lawyers will find it useful just about every day.
--Edward Mallett, Mallett Saper Berg, LLP, Past President of the Nat’l Ass’n of Criminal Defense Lawyers

With this book I will no longer be panicking when the issue of admissibility as to a critical piece of evidence is suddenly being litigated mid-trial.
--Louis J. Shapiro, Law Offices of Louis J. Shapiro, Los Angeles Certified Specialist, Criminal Law

This book provides a systematic approach to determining evidence issues, complete with insightful commentary, flowcharts and tables to identify, analyze, and resolve evidence and constitutional questions during trial. While serving as a Superior Court Judge, it was always within arms-reach and one of my most valuable resources.
--Honorable Stanford Reichert (ret.), California Superior Court Judge

About the Author

Elia V. Pirozzi received his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law, where he was the recipient of academic achievement awards in Advanced Corporate Law and International Business Transactions, and an LL.M. from the University of San Diego School of Law, cum laude, in Environmental Law and International and Comparative Law. He was appointed to the San Bernardino County Superior Court in 2007, where he presided over numerous criminal and civil trials and served as Assistant Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of the court. Judge Pirozzi retired from the bench in 2021 and in 2022 was appointed by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court to serve as an assigned judge for select California criminal and civil trial courts. He is a respected author of a broad variety of law review articles, publications, and articles for legal journals and has designed and developed numerous materials, bench tools, and legal resources for use by judicial officers throughout California. Judge Pirozzi is currently a dispute resolution professional and serves as a mediator, arbitrator, court-appointed neutral, and hearing officer for litigators, their clients, and courts statewide.