Scales v. United States
367 U.S. 203 (1961) Cited 392 times
Holding that a statute criminalizing membership in an organization offends due process if it "impermissibly imputes guilt to an individual merely on the basis of his associations and sympathies, rather than because of some concrete personal involvement in criminal conduct"
People v. Ledesma
16 Cal.4th 90 (Cal. 1997) Cited 132 times
Noting that "the 'shall'/'may' dichotomy . . . is not a fixed rule of statutory construction. Moreover, unlike some codes that expressly define 'shall' as mandatory and 'may' as permissive, the Penal Code provides only that '[w]ords and phrases must be construed according to the context and the approved usage of the language . . . .' (§ 7, subd. 16.)."
Jevne v. Superior Court
35 Cal.4th 935 (Cal. 2005) Cited 59 times
Acknowledging commission's reports as evidence of legislative intent
People v. Mirmirani
30 Cal.3d 375 (Cal. 1981) Cited 58 times
Stating that statutes that proscribe threats "must be narrowly directed only to threats which truly pose a danger to society"
People v. Snyder
22 Cal.4th 304 (Cal. 2000) Cited 19 times
Taking judicial notice of ballot arguments regarding statewide proposition as legislative history and aid for interpretation