Manduley v. Superior Court of California

Juvenile Law Center filed an amicus brief in this appeal challenging the constitutionality of California Proposition 21, which granted prosecutors discretion to file charges against certain minors directly in criminal court without a prior adjudication of a minor's unfitness for a juvenile disposition.

Juvenile Law Center’s brief argued that Proposition 21 would be harmful to public safety, place children at risk of physical and emotional harm by placing them in adult facilities, and exacerbate racial disparities in the justice system. 

The California Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the statute.