Court Opinion

ID: 9613108
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:14:14.347968+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:25.240678
License: Public Domain

RICHARDSON, J.
I respectfully dissent. In my view, the statutory provisions at issue (Pen. Code, §§ 422, 422.5) are not unconstitutionally vague.
The foregoing provisions, which are contained in a title of the Penal Code entitled “Terrorist Threats” (tit. 11.5), undoubtedly were enacted to proscribe threats of harm by persons seeking to advance some social or political goal rather than to accomplish a purely private or personal purpose. The majority holds that the limitational phrase “to achieve social or political goals” (§ 422.5) is “all-encompassing,” providing “no limitation at all.” (Ante, p. 384.) To the contrary, properly construed the provision reasonably confines the reach of these statutes in an entirely constitutional manner.
In his majority opinion written for the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Five, in this case, Justice Stephens upheld the challenged provisions on the following basis: “. . . Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1966), at page 2161, defines ‘social’ as ‘relating to or concerned with the welfare of human beings as members of society.’ ‘Political’ is defined ‘of or relating to . .. the conduct of gov*390ernmental affairs.’ (P. 1755.) It is apparent that the Legislature contemplated the prohibition of threats under section 422 where they are made to advance the cause of an ascertainable group, or are made in furtherance of principles advocated by an ascertainable group, whether in a political or a more general (social) context. Conceivably, threats under section 422 would be prohibited where they contemplate some impact on the conduct of governmental affairs, regardless of the perpetrator’s group affiliation. Clearly beyond the purview of the statute are threats made in a purely personal context, as in cases concerning strictly personal pecuniary gain (as in the case of blackmail) or as a result of personal rivalry.” (Fn. omitted.)
I fully concur with, and adopt, Justice Stephens’ cogent analysis. I further observe that even the dissenting opinion for the Court of Appeal, agreed that “the statute is not unconstitutional on its face. . .. [T]he adjectives ‘social’ and ‘political’ are sufficiently certain to protect the statute from the vice of vagueness.” (Fn. omitted.) Rather, unlike the Court of Appeal majority, the dissenting justice did not believe that the challenged statutes properly applied to defendant’s conduct, an issue which the majority herein does not decide and one which, accordingly, I do not address.
Our news media very frequently relate reports of threats of harm uttered by terrorists and others acting in the name of some social or political cause or group, or seeking to advance its aims. The statutory provisions struck down by the majority herein had served an important dual purpose of deterring such threats and subjecting to imprisonment those who made them, thereby inhibiting the subsequent acts of violence or terrorism which, sadly, so often follow.
I would uphold the statute.
Mosk, J., and White, J.,* concurred.
Appellant’s petition for a rehearing was denied January 14, 1982. Kaus, J., did not participate therein. Tobriner, J.,† participated therein. Richardson, J., and Mosk, J., were of the opinion that the petition should be granted.

 Assigned by the Chairperson of the Judicial Council.

Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court sitting under assignment by the Chairperson of the Judicial Council.