California was one of 13 states in the nation to allow same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court ruling in 2015 that legalized it across the nation It is also a progressive leader regarding medical marijuana laws in the United States. In 1996, California became the first state to initiate a program for the use of medical marijuana. Under the Compassionate Use Act, individuals with chronic illnesses are allowed to use and even grow marijuana for medical purposes. In the 2016 elections, california lawyers citizens passed Proposition 64 that legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
In contrast to its lenient stance on medical marijuana, California’s three-strikes or habitual offender law is one of the harshest in the country. But in the 2012 elections, voters passed Proposition 36 that substantially changed two of the primary provisions. Now, to sentence a 3rd strike offender with 25 years to life in prison requires the 3rd strike to be from a serious or violent felony. It also gave those currently serving a 3rd strike sentence to petition for a reduction of their term if they would no longer qualify for a 3rd strike sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
California is also notorious for imposing stringent requirements on future lawyers, who must pass a moral character examination as well as the dreaded Bar Examination, promulgated by the State Bar of California.