State power over crimes at sea
Lonnie Loren Kocontes v. California
In brief
- Where it stands
- Dismissed
Petition denied.
- What it’s about
- Lonnie Loren Kocontes asked the Supreme Court to review whether California could prosecute him for an alleged killing aboard a foreign-flagged ship on the high seas and whether law enforcement violated his rights by seeking protected information from his defense investigator and calling the investigator as a witness.
- Who it affects
- The denial ended Kocontes's request for Supreme Court review; it did not determine whether either challenged action was lawful.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The Court refused to hear the case (denied review) and did not decide those questions.
The case came from the Supreme Court of California.
Question presented
1. Whether the State of California had territorial (subject matter) jurisdiction over an alleged homicide on a foreign-flagged ship on the high seas, both as a matter of statutory construction and due process? 2. Whether law enforcement violated the Fifth and Sixth Amendments by soliciting privileged information from a defense investigator and calling him as a witness?
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
AI analysis generated: Decision Record
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
Case data updated: question_presented, extraction_metadata
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Brief added: Petition
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.