of Deborah Peagler's case and others like it. In eight out of eight cases, he opposed the use of a California law that allows battered women in prison to be given a new hearing if evidence of domestic violence was omitted during the original proceedings. Cooley had initially supported Peagler's release from prison, but then withdrew his written offer to reduce the battered woman's prison sentence. Just a week before the 2008 election that he ultimately won, Cooley was attacked for violating Jessica's Law and making a deal with defense attorneys and judges to postpone seeking tougher sanctions against a group of serious sex offenders that had completed their prison terms. Rather than seeking indefinite hospitalization for some offenders, as allowed under a November 2006 ballot measure, Cooley only sought two years. Third term In June 2008, Cooley was elected to a third term, defeating his challengers, Steve Ipsen, President of the L.A. County Prosecutors Union, and Albert Robles, an attorney and professor. Cooley was heavily criticized for his opposition of Proposition 9 (Marsy's Law: The Victim's Bill of Rights). Cooley told the L.A. Times, just before voters went to the polls over "Marsy's Law" that the measure, which ended up passing, would sweep aside "decades of legislative scrutiny and judicial review." It plays to voters' feelings, selling itself with a female victim's name, "like a cherry on the ice cream." The L.A. Times editorial desk wrote on April 28, 2008 of Cooley, "It is noteworthy that he criticized predecessor Gil Garcetti in 2000 for seeking a third term and promised that he would serve only two." But in 2008, he sought a third term, despite his promise. One of Cooley's 2008 re-election opponents, Albert Robles, faced misdemeanor charges filed against him by the D.A.'s office in November 2007. Robles was charged with printing a pair of political mailers without a return address and expending more than $100 cash in a political campaign. Robles accused Cooley of direct involvement in the charges brought against him because of a personal vendetta and to affect the outcome of the June 2008 D.A. election. Cooley denied those allegations. In October 2008, a jury found Robles not guilty of all charges after deliberating for only 20 minutes, and he was re-elected a month later to his seat on the board of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California. Cooley was sued in federal court