While his tough-on-crime stance might play well to the average Joe, it’s coming under more and more scrutiny by judges, who question whether Davis might be violating prisoners’ due process rights.

The state’s Board of Prison Terms, which critics say has begun emulating the governor by authorizing parole only about 1 percent of the time, was called on the carpet last week by a San Francisco appeal court for refusing parole to an inmate that prison officials recommended for release.