Nico Savidge profiles Kenneth Humphrey in the Mercury News. Humphrey is the defendant whose high-profile case the Supreme Court will hear to possibly overhaul California’s current cash bail system. He was jailed while awaiting trial until a Court of Appeal decision, which the Supreme Court is reviewing, ruled that a defendant’s ability to pay must be considered in setting the amount of bail.
The article says:
Humphrey is an example of what activists, defense attorneys, reform-minded prosecutors and politicians call the extreme inequity of the cash bail system, which typically requires a defendant to come up with 10% of the bail amount, with a bail bonds company fronting the rest. The six-figure bond a judge assigned Humphrey meant the retired shipyard worker sat in jail as his case slowly worked its way through the court system, whereas a wealthy defendant could have gotten a bail bond and walked free while waiting for trial.
Related:
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A possible reason the Chief Justice shouldn’t recuse herself from hearing the bail cases