Michael T. Sauer
Encyclopedia
Michael Thomas Sauer is a Los Angeles County Superior Court
judge
. He is best known for sentencing socialite Paris Hilton
to 45 days in jail for violating terms of her probation
. He was previously a Deputy City Attorney
for Los Angeles, California
and unsuccessfully argued the famous Cohen v. California
case before the United States Supreme Court.
neighborhood of Los Angeles. He attended Loyola Law School
and later worked for eight years for the city attorney's office. In 1971, as deputy city attorney in charge of appellate cases, he unsuccessfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Cohen v. California
(arguing against famed first amendment attorney Melville B. Nimmer) — an obscenity case stemming from a defendant who appeared in a county courtroom wearing a jacket decrying the draft.
Appointed to Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1972 by then-Governor Ronald Reagan
, Sauer was elevated to the Superior Court bench in 2000 when the two courts combined. While on the bench in May 1993, Sauer was responsible for removing the MCA
World Headquarters shooting by John Brian Jarvis to California Superior Court. In 2003, he was moved from criminal court cases to misdemeanor arraignments — a posting heavy on traffic violations and DUIs.
surrounding the jail sentence.
On Thursday, June 7, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
officials released Hilton because of an undisclosed medical condition and sent her home under house arrest
. She had been in jail for three days. Hilton was fitted with an ankle monitor
and was expected to finish her 45-day sentence at her home. City attorney Rocky Delgadillo
filed a petition late Thursday afternoon questioning whether Sheriff
Lee Baca
should be held in contempt of court for releasing Hilton on Thursday morning. Sauer himself had expressed his unhappiness with Hilton's release before Delgadillo asked him to return her to court. When Sauer sentenced Hilton to jail, he ruled specifically that she could not serve her sentence at home under electronic monitoring (house arrest).
The day after her release, June 8, Sauer ordered Hilton to report immediately to court, and ordered her to return to jail to serve out her entire sentence.
Superior Courts of California
The Superior Courts of California are the superior courts in the U.S. state of California with general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a government agency...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
. He is best known for sentencing socialite Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
to 45 days in jail for violating terms of her probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
. He was previously a Deputy City Attorney
City attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....
for Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and unsuccessfully argued the famous Cohen v. California
Cohen v. California
Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with freedom of speech. The Court overturned a disturbing the peace conviction of a man wearing a jacket decorated with profanity.-Background of the case:...
case before the United States Supreme Court.
Early life
Sauer grew up in the Windsor SquareWindsor Square, Los Angeles, California
Windsor Square is a small, historic and wealthy urban neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles, California.- Origins and history :Sometime between 1900 and 1910 a prominent financier named George A.J...
neighborhood of Los Angeles. He attended Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
and later worked for eight years for the city attorney's office. In 1971, as deputy city attorney in charge of appellate cases, he unsuccessfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Cohen v. California
Cohen v. California
Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with freedom of speech. The Court overturned a disturbing the peace conviction of a man wearing a jacket decorated with profanity.-Background of the case:...
(arguing against famed first amendment attorney Melville B. Nimmer) — an obscenity case stemming from a defendant who appeared in a county courtroom wearing a jacket decrying the draft.
Appointed to Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1972 by then-Governor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Sauer was elevated to the Superior Court bench in 2000 when the two courts combined. While on the bench in May 1993, Sauer was responsible for removing the MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
World Headquarters shooting by John Brian Jarvis to California Superior Court. In 2003, he was moved from criminal court cases to misdemeanor arraignments — a posting heavy on traffic violations and DUIs.
Paris Hilton
In May 2007 Sauer sentenced socialite Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating probation. Following the sentencing, Sauer reportedly received a standing ovation from his church in Los Angeles. However, the judge stated that it did not occur, and was surprised at the amount of publicityPublicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
surrounding the jail sentence.
On Thursday, June 7, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
officials released Hilton because of an undisclosed medical condition and sent her home under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
. She had been in jail for three days. Hilton was fitted with an ankle monitor
Ankle monitor
An ankle monitor is a device that individuals under house arrest are often required to wear. At timed intervals, the ankle monitor sends a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. If an offender moves outside of an allowed range, the police will be notified...
and was expected to finish her 45-day sentence at her home. City attorney Rocky Delgadillo
Rocky Delgadillo
Rockard John "Rocky" Delgadillo is an American politician. He is the 6th and former City Attorney of Los Angeles, California.-Career:*Teacher / Coach, Los Angeles Unified School District, Franklin*Attorney, O’Melveny & Myers...
filed a petition late Thursday afternoon questioning whether Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Lee Baca
Lee Baca
Leroy David "Lee" Baca is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. Baca holds a Doctorate of Public Administration from the University of Southern California....
should be held in contempt of court for releasing Hilton on Thursday morning. Sauer himself had expressed his unhappiness with Hilton's release before Delgadillo asked him to return her to court. When Sauer sentenced Hilton to jail, he ruled specifically that she could not serve her sentence at home under electronic monitoring (house arrest).
The day after her release, June 8, Sauer ordered Hilton to report immediately to court, and ordered her to return to jail to serve out her entire sentence.