Upcoming Court Dates

­­Federal defendants need support from the community! Please consider attending any of the upcoming court dates o­f medical­ ma­rijuana patien­ts, caregivers, and doctors from the list below. For more in­formation on what you can do to help, see our Guide to Organizing Court Support. ­

You can also refer to listings of federal medical marijuana cases compiled by ASA and MedicalMarijuanaofAmerica.com.

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October 16, 2009 at 9am -- Winslow & Abraham Norton Pre-Trial Conference

On October 30, 2007, the DEA raided Compassionate Collective of Alameda County (CCAC) in Hayward, CA, as well as the homes of operators Winslow and Abraham Norton.  Officers arrested both men and charged them with conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilos of marijuana, as well as several related money-laundering offenses.  CCAC had a permit from Alameda County, authorized to operate by the Board of Supervisors.  In February of 2009, both the Nortons' father and the manager of the dispensary, Brian Everett, were indicted in this case. 

The pre-trial conference will take place in the Oakland Federal Building at 1301 Clay Street in Oakland, CA with Judge Jensen.  All defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15-20 years.

November 16, 2009 at 2:30pm -- John Seidenberg

John Seidenberg was originally arrested on state charges for cultivating two gardens for the Hortifarm collective, each garden having over 100 marijuana plants.  The arrest followed a raid in December of 2007 in Lompoc and a second raid in February of 2008 in Santa Ynez by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department.  A Santa Barbara Sheriff's Deputy turned Seidenberg over to federal prosecutors, who was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on August 26, 2008.  Seidenberg asserts that he was operating well within the Attorney General's guidelines and was legally within the bounds of California state law.

Seidenberg took a plea deal that could result in a sentence of time served to 3-5 years in federal prison, of which he'd have to actually serve 85%.  He has two small children, and showing our support may help the judge recognize that "time served" is the best sentence.  His sentencing will be held before Judge Dean Pregerson on November 16, 2009 in the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse located at 312 N. Spring Street, Courtroom 3, 2nd floor.