Judge: Schwarzenegger didn't break Calif. law

Gov. Schwarzenegger Discusses State Budget With Bay Area Council Members_20100806221950_JPG

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 06: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger smiles as he speaks to members of the Bay Area Council August 6, 2010 in Santa Clara, California. Governor Schwarzenegger spoke to business leaders about California's …
Photographer: Justin Sullivan

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Posted: 09/07/2012

By: Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A California judge has ruled that former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't break any laws when he cut the manslaughter sentence for the son of a political ally just hours before leaving office last year.

Sacramento County Judge Lloyd Connelly ruled Friday in Schwarzenegger's favor after the victim's family and the San Diego district attorney sued.

Schwarzenegger had cut the sentence of Esteban Nunez from 16 years to seven. Nunez is the son of the governor's political ally, Fabian Nunez.

Connelly says that while what Schwarzenegger did was "distasteful and repugnant," he did not violate the voter-approved Marsy's law.

The family of the victim, 22-year-old college student Luis Santos, argued that Schwarzenegger should have notified them or the district attorney who prosecuted the case.