# People v. Birks

> California Supreme Court · August 31, 1998 · 77 Cal. Rptr. 2d 848

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9559580

## Case

- **Full name:** The PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. LAWRENCE BIRKS, Defendant and Appellant
- **Court:** California Supreme Court
- **Decided:** August 31, 1998
- **Citations:** 77 Cal. Rptr. 2d 848; 19 Cal. 4th 108; 98 Daily Journal DAR 9346; 960 P.2d 1073; 98 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6803; 1998 Cal. LEXIS 5591
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Concurrence by Werdegar
- **Judges:** Baxter, Werdegar, Brown
- **Cited by:** 450 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

- No negative treatment found by the automated citator. That is not the same as a confirmation that the case is good law; read the citing cases.
- Full citator and citing cases: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9559580

## How later opinions describe it (automated extraction)

- finding the analysis in Reeves "utterly convincing" and rejecting a charge on lesser-related offenses

## Opinion text

WERDEGAR, J.
I concur in the majority opinion except insofar as it discusses the California constitutional doctrine of separation of powers. The discussion is unnecessary to the court’s holding and, in keeping with the traditional rule that courts refrain from addressing constitutional questions unless required to resolve a given case (see College Hospital, Inc. v. Superior Court (1994) 8 Cal.4th 704, 721 [ 34 Cal.Rptr.2d 898 , 882 P.2d 894 ]; People v. Williams (1976) 16 Cal.3d 663, 667 [ 128 Cal.Rptr. 888 , 547 P.2d 1000 ]; People v. Bennett (1998) 17 Cal.4th 373, 393 [ 70 Cal.Rptr.2d 850 , 949 P.2d 947 ] (conc. opn. of Werdegar, J.)), I express no opinion on its correctness.

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9559580. Public record. Not legal advice.