"Was Wright's Pardon Wrong?" in Random Lengths (Apr. 4-17, '19)

My article, "Was Wright's Pardon Wrong?" concerning Jerry Brown's pardon of former state senator Rod Wright, ran in Random Lengths, Apr. 4-17, 2019.

Here's the link:

https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/2019/04/05/was-wrights-pardon-wrong/?ct=t%28This+Week%3A+Indy+Wrestling+Pioneers%3B+Wright%27s_COPY_%29
&fbclid=
IwAR3IpGuZakimA0HW5d9bISiKtLzaL6CEHIF2C5NfRmoWSSKtOis61uT8hvw

Here's the lede:

Most remaining records related to former California Gov. Jerry Brown’s pardon of former state legislator Rod Wright became public March 21, the result of a lawsuit by the First Amendment Coalition, which challenged the decades-old California Supreme Court practice of automatically sealing all documents related to executive clemency.

“The public has a right and interest in knowing what justification the governor has in [granting] a pardon,” said David Snyder, the coalition’s executive director.

Snyder recounted that, when the coalition sought the records related to Wright and “about five or six” other cases stemming from Brown’s large number of pardons, they found the court was automatically treating all such records as confidential, inconsistent with California law.

Unlike many other states, California checks the governor’s authority to pardon twice-convicted felons, by requiring approval from the state Supreme Court first. Wright fit the category because he had a prior conviction—from 1972, when he was 19, for auto theft—before his 2014 conviction for perjury and voter fraud, for living outside the district in which he was elected.

Wright spent six years representing the 25th state senate district, which included Carson and Inglewood, and 12 years in the legislature all together.

In 2008, an investigation by the Los Angeles district attorney concluded that when Wright  ran for office in 2007-2008, he was not residing in a “domicile” in the 25th district—in Inglewood, as he claimed.

Wright was convicted on eight counts involving perjury and voter fraud, as he also used the Inglewood address for voting. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail (he actually served less than a day), three years’ probation, 1,500 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $2,000 restitution. He was also banned from ever holding state office again.

Here's the link to Random Lengths:  www.randomlengthsnews.com