The proposals have encountered minimal opposition to date, said Ilana Beller, field manager for Public Citizen’s Democracy Campaign.

“Our community does not need one more innocent Black man wrongfully accused and wrongfully convicted,” Beller said.

One of Wayans’ lawyers, David M. Beller, said a judge has granted the request.

James Craig’s lawyer, David M. Beller, declined to comment on the allegations against his client.

Once, long ago, in the now-shuttered offices of LA Weekly on Sunset Boulevard, I was assigned to profile a young, hip writer named Thomas Beller.