(Subscription required) A unanimous First District Court of Appeal panel said the San Francisco County Superior Court improperly "stepped into the shoes of the prosecution" when it continued to cite COVID-related backlogs as a valid reason for …
Billionaire Elon Musk drew a harsh spotlight Tuesday on a new state law allowing transgender students to decide if their parents should be informed about their gender identity. Musk said he plans to move his businesses, including the social media platform …
Retail theft also burdens the criminal justice system, as resources spent addressing retail theft could be redirected towards more severe crimes. New technologies also make it easier to resell stolen merchandise across multiple jurisdictions, which further …
(Subscription required) Courts have no “bright line rule” that signals when they should sever unconscionable terms from an employment arbitration agreement and let the remaining contract survive or simply toss the pact altogether, the California Supreme …
Due to the impact of state budget cuts, the San Mateo County Superior Court will implement workforce and public service reductions as it continues to adapt to increased operational costs with significantly reduced state funding.
To meet the demand for certified court interpreters across the state, the Judicial Council approved the California Court Interpreter Workforce Pilot Program. It aims to increase court interpreter numbers by reimbursing participants for training and exam …
An online tool now offered by all superior courts in California is not only saving litigants a trip to the courthouse, it’s saving them money. How the MyCitations Tool Works MyCitations is an online tool that allows low-income individuals with infraction …
A recent statutory change requires reversal of a judgment of death based on a gang murder special circumstance where no evidence was presented at trial that the supporting predicate offenses benefitted the criminal organization in a way that was more than …
According to Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jonathan B. Conklin, a Judicial Council member, much of the trial court money goes to paying for the work that’s done daily. He said an essential question the council had to tackle this year was how to …
The California Supreme Court held yesterday that the resentencing scheme established by Penal Code §1172.6—allowing defendants who were convicted under now-defunct aspects of the felony-murder rule to have their murder convictions redesignated as the …
On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the grant award for funding to help investigations, develop culturally based prevention strategies, improve responses to human trafficking, supply culturally appropriate support services to families and improve …
SAN FRANCISCO—The Judicial Council at its July 12 meeting approved funding allocations to the trial courts, which includes a $97 million reduction to local trial courts as required by the fiscal year 2024-25 budget. “What we are doing is making a decision …
(Subscription required) Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas Griego was publicly admonished Thursday by California’s judicial disciplinary agency for displaying “a pattern of intemperate behavior toward self-represented litigants.”
(Subscription required) A federal judge has issued his final judgment in four cases freeing tribal casinos from state control. The orders signed Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff mark the latest step in a years-long process that has …
For the second time this year, the court granted a petition for review by the State Bar’s Chief Trial Counsel claiming the State Bar Court’s Review Department did not sufficiently discipline a lawyer. The case is In re Spielbauer. The petition claims the …
Because of three back-to-back rulings by the court’s conservative majority, federal regulations may soon be harder to enforce, more convenient to challenge and easier to strike down once they are challenged. But it’s not clear how consequential these …
(Subscription required) The state Supreme Court unanimously overturned a 2020 ruling by the Public Utilities Commission prohibiting water utilities from de-coupling their revenue from the amount of water they sell. The high court found that the commission …
In April, a federal judge ordered Alameda County to review over 30 death penalty convictions following allegations that the Alameda District Attorney’s office removed Black and Jewish people from juries. The trials reviewed included a case that involved a …
The Supreme Court’s list of matters scheduled to be considered at tomorrow’s conference includes Office of the State Public Defender v. Bonta. That’s the original writ petition filed in the Supreme Court three months ago claiming the State’s death penalty …
The Third District Court of Appeal has declared that a lawyer, contesting the renewal of a civil harassment restraining order against him, failed to show bias on the part of a trial judge based on the fact that his wife was a member of the appellate panel …
