The PJLC Takes the Lead on Fighting OC Gang Injunctions in Court

The Peace and Justice Law Center (PJLC) has filed an appeal on behalf of a community member challenging Orange County’s use of gang injunctions, marking a major escalation in the legal fight against a practice most California counties have already abandoned as ineffective, costly, and unconstitutional.

Gang injunctions are civil court orders that severely restrict where people can go, who they can associate with, and how they can live their daily lives, often without the protections required in criminal court. Despite widespread criticism and legal reform across the state, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer continues to rely on these injunctions, disproportionately targeting communities of color.

The appeal grows out of a case in which the OCDA sought to enforce an existing gang injunction against nine young men in Santa Ana. Working closely with the grassroots organization Chicanxs Unidxs, PJLC met with affected community members and agreed to represent one of the men targeted by the injunction.

At the trial court level, PJLC filed extensive briefs arguing that the county’s injunction process violates due process and unlawfully uses the civil court system to sidestep constitutional protections. PJLC also asked the court to dissolve the injunction entirely, arguing that the structure of the program itself is unlawful.

Although the trial court denied that request, PJLC’s newly filed appeal asks a higher court to review whether Orange County’s gang injunction practices can continue at all. A favorable ruling could end gang injunctions in Orange County and create precedent limiting their use elsewhere in California.

This appeal reflects PJLC’s broader strategy of pairing community partnerships with impact litigation to dismantle discriminatory policing practices and replace them with approaches that respect constitutional rights and promote genuine public safety.