Deputy DA to lose job over memo Memo issued by James McEntee's boss that ordered review of judge's felony cases was made public. Deputy District Attorney James McEntee, who has been prosecuting local cases for 11 years, has been on paid leave since the memo by District Attorney David Paulson was obtained by area reporters. He declined to comment on his impending termination. Paulson declined comment on the matter because it involves a personnel issue. In the memo dated June 25 and obtained by reporters the following week, Paulson told his staff that he will personally review all felony cases assigned to Judge Luis Villarreal in order to decide if the judge should be disqualified from them.
State law allows both the prosecution and defense in a case one chance to disqualify a judge.
I will promptly review the file and make a determination regarding possible disqualification. The memo came on the heels of a decision by Villarreal to overturn the murder convictions of two Vacaville men - David Moreno and Justin Pacheco. However, prosecutors claimed the new policy had nothing to do with that ruling. While McEntee's dismissal is slated to become final Friday, it doesn't necessarily mark the end of the dispute. All Solano County attorneys who handle criminal cases are members of the Teamsters Union Local 228, including deputies in the District Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office and the Conflict Defender's Office.