california supreme court (original) (raw)

A lawyer in a suit stands before seven California Supreme Court Judges in a courtroom.

Justice

In a first, California Supreme Court reverses a death sentence under new racial justice law

A Los Angeles prosecutor likened a Black murder suspect to a Bengal tiger. Decades later, the California Supreme Court found that trope showed unacceptable racial bias.

A view of the front facade of a courthouse in Los Angeles, with the sunlight reflecting off the building and a pole with an American flag waving in the air in front.

Technology

California judges are testing a new AI clerk, and you won’t know if it’s looking at your case

Courts in Los Angeles and Riverside counties are testing an artificial intelligence tool and deciding whether it can be used in high-stakes criminal cases.

A glowing white rocket can be seen soaring through a cloudy afternoon sky in San Diego near three palm trees.

Commentary

Housing-averse Coastal Commission gets wings clipped in two key lawsuit losses

For more than 50 years the Coastal Commission has superseded most local and state rules affecting housing and land on the coast — until now.

An unidentifiable person wearing a black suit stands in front of a desk inside a courtroom facing a judge's bench. Another person, wearing an orange jumpsuit and with chains around their wait and hands, can be seen in the background.

Justice

A $7 cheeseburger reopened debate over bail in California. Here’s what the Supreme Court found

A homeless man was arrested after using stolen credit cards to buy a meal and then spent six months in a Bay Area jail. His case triggered a debate over expensive bail.

An empty judge’s bench inside a wood-paneled courtroom holds a stack of papers, folders, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer beneath a red-tipped microphone, with warm brown walls filling the background.

Commentary

California judges defend their independence and the rule of law

President Trump, Gov. Newsom and other politicians pressured judges. But judges say they can’t bow to political or popular will, only to the law.

A child sits at a table holding a smartphone, watching a video of an adult demonstrating how to arrange pink plastic counting blocks into a square, with the blocks spread across the tabletop in front of them.

Technology

‘We’re basically pushers:’ Two California courtrooms hear how companies may have hooked kids on social media

Lawsuits in California federal and state court are unearthing documents embarrassing to tech companies — and may be a tipping point into federal regulation.

A modern courthouse building with dark exterior panels and angled support columns lines a landscaped walkway, as a person walks toward the entrance in the foreground.

Justice

California chief justice steps up monitoring of immigration arrests at courthouses

California's top judge wants to deter immigration agents from making arrests in courthouses, a practice that she says instills fear in witnesses and litigants.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies at a crime scene in Sacramento on Feb. 28, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, Sipa USA via Reuters

Justice

Cops have to treat marijuana in your car differently after new California Supreme Court ruling

If you can't easily consume it, having marijuana in your car does not give California police the right to search the vehicle.

Five immigration agents, dressed in camouflage riot gear and holding weapons, stand in the middle of a street while facing a crowd of bystanders and protesters.

Politics

California Democrats have new plans for confronting ICE: Taxes, lawsuits and location bans

The California Senate passed a bill that would make it easier to sue federal officers over civil rights violations. Recent shootings of civilians by immigration agents in Minnesota lent urgency to the measure, one of several targeting ICE.

A person stands in front of a table with photos, buttons lights, and other items related to victims of drunk drivers. Other people stand by holding large photos of the victims.

Investigation

How a speeding ticket can be worse than killing someone with your car in California

A diversion program created by the Legislature in 2020 has allowed some people charged with vehicular manslaughter to keep the case off of their driving record.