Lewis v. Superior Court

John Lewis (defendant), a Republican politician, had staff draft letters supporting other Republican candidates, printed on White House stationery and signed with a falsified signature purporting to be former President Reagan's, despite Lewis's knowledge that the White House had explicitly denied permission to use Reagan's signature. California charged Lewis with forgery under Penal Code section 470 for counterfeiting another's handwriting or passing a false document as genuine with intent to defraud. Lewis petitioned for a writ of prohibition, arguing the forgery statute didn't reach falsifying a signature on a political endorsement letter, but the superior court denied the motion, and Lewis appealed.