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Criminal Law Keyed to Ohlin
Lewis v. Superior Court
Citation:
California 217 Cal. App. 3d 379 (1990)Facts
John Lewis was a member of the California Assembly. He ordered his staff members to draft six letters supporting Republican candidates for stat legislative office. The letters were mailed to registered votes in the target districted. They were printed on paper with the letterhead “Ronald Reagan – The White House” and appeared to be signed by Reagan.
However, Reagan did not sign the letters. Lewis directed his staff to affix the false signature to the letters even after he was advised that permission to use the President’s name and signature on them had not been sought. He was charged by indictment with one count of forgery. He appealed, arguing that the definition of forgery does not extend to what he did.
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Topic Resources
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Elements of a Crime