9th Circuit Rules Right Again

Well this is truly good news. Apparently, the fourth time is a charm, and in a ruling issued yesterday on a fourth motion, Bryan Epis will be released on bail pending his appeal to the 9th Circuit Court, who are in turn awaiting a US Supreme Court decision in Raich v. Ashcroft. Congratulations to Bryan and his attorney Brenda Grantland for surmounting some huge obstacles in obtaining this modicum of justice for him. The Court had ruled to remand his case back to the lower court last month but he had remained in jail until now.

Epis has been serving a 10-year term at the federal prison at Terminal Island outside Los Angeles since his 2002 conviction on federal marijuana conspiracy charges. Damrell instructed jurors to disregard evidence of medical use sanctioned by California's medical marijuana initiative, Proposition 215.

Bryan and his 10 year old daughter (who has not seen her daddy in two years) are reported to be ecstatic about the decision. I'm pretty happy for them myself.