David Carrillo quoted in Wew news, December 12, 2018

David A. Carrillo, executive director of the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law, said he was not surprised at the chief justice’s comments and her emphasis on consensus. In a study due to be published this month, Dr. Carrillo analyzed 302 opinions by the state Supreme Court over the past three years and found only one in which the justices appointed by Mr. Brown voted as a distinct bloc against the other justices.

“People ask this question all the time, ‘Why is California not polarized?’ We are divided as a nation but not so much as a state,” Dr. Carrillo said. “I think it’s particularly telling that we have a state high court that reflects that consensus.”

David Carrillo co-writes for The Sacramento Bee, April 5, 2018

Since then the already overworked and underfunded court has struggled to make ends meet with only six members. It has been forced to draft pinch hitters from the Court of Appeal, drawing those justices away from their own heavy dockets. Governor Brown, can we please have a new California Supreme Court justice?

David Carrillo quoted by Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2017

UC Berkeley’s David A. Carrillo, director of a center that studies the California Constitution, described the initiative as a new unfunded mandate. “There is no way the courts can get through the existing backlog in five years with their current resources,” Carrillo said.

David Carrillo writes for San Francisco Chronicle, March 11, 2017

There is only one narrow path to secession: amending the U.S. Constitution, which requires approval by two-thirds of Congress and 38 of the states. This is a high bar — it has only happened 17 times in 226 years. Calexit does nothing to start that process. And even if that overwhelming consensus could be achieved here, it would be disastrous.

David Carrillo quoted by Daily Journal (registration required), March 10, 2017

“Filling Justice Werdegar’s seat will create an undisputed majority of four Brown appointees,” said David A. Carrillo. … “If he keeps with past practice and appoints someone young, we could see a Brown majority on the court that lasts for 20 years. That’s a legacy.”

David Carrillo cited by The Sacramento Bee, March 9, 2017

An analysis by David A. Carrillo … shows that the justices rarely diverge, party notwithstanding. Liu, for example, has voted with Republican appointees between 92 and 98 percent of the time. Werdegar votes with Liu and Cuéllar 98 percent of the time, and 97 percent of the time with Kruger. U.S. Supreme Court justices split far more frequently.

David Carrillo quoted by LA Weekly, March 7, 2017

“The 17-year-old voting age will only apply to state and local elections,” he said via email. “The 26th Amendment only precludes denial by states of the right of citizens who are 18 years of age or older to vote.”

David Carrillo quoted by The New York Times, Feb. 21, 2017

David A. Carrillo … is not among the supporters. “California seceding is so unlikely to happen it’s a waste of our time even to discuss it. … Even if the state could secede, it’s a terrible idea.” In the United States Constitution, Mr. Carrillo said, “there is a no procedure for allowing states to leave, and if you want a practical example, there is the Civil War.”

David Carrillo cited by LA Weekly, Jan. 30, 2017

David Carrillo, executive director of Berkeley Law’s California Constitution Center, points to the center’s analysis of the prospects for secession, which argues that there is no secession authority granted in either the U.S. or California constitution.