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California Attorney General Rob Bonta said through a spokeswoman that his office "will continue our defense of the state's common-sense gun laws," but declined to comment on whether he would object to future cases being assigned to Judge Benitez. The judge declined to comment.
"If you're a gun-rights group challenging the law in California then you want to be before Judge Benitez," said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written a history of gun laws. "He has become the most vigorous defender of gun rights in the federal courts today."
Judge Benitez, a Cuban immigrant, was nominated to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2003. His outsize role in gun-rights litigation began in 2017 when he was randomly assigned to hear a lawsuit challenging a law approved by voters in a referendum the prior year that criminalized possession of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
"If you're a gun-rights group challenging the law in California then you want to be before Judge Benitez," said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written a history of gun laws. "He has become the most vigorous defender of gun rights in the federal courts today."
Judge Benitez, a Cuban immigrant, was nominated to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2003. His outsize role in gun-rights litigation began in 2017 when he was randomly assigned to hear a lawsuit challenging a law approved by voters in a referendum the prior year that criminalized possession of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
California Gun-Control Battles Sparked by One Judge’s Decisions
Judge Roger Benitez has struck down several of the state’s gun-control measures, including an assault-weapons ban.
www.wsj.com