(Subscription required) AI tools risk undermining judicial legitimacy by offering conclusions without transparent reasoning--but troubling evidence shows that some human judges also fail to consistently apply legal principles, especially in emotionally charged "bad guy" cases, suggesting that AI may sometimes deliver more impartial outcomes.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the granting of a motion to dismiss an action with prejudice, without considering the merits, based on the plaintiffs’ disregard of an order to file opposition.

(Subscription required) Presiding Judge Bunmi O. Awoniyi of Sacramento County Superior Court was named Judge of the Year by the county bar association Thursday, marking the culmination of a tenure that reshaped the bench and welcomed a new courthouse.

The Fifth District Court of Appeal has declared that items that are available to general-population female prison inmates that are not gender-specific—such as tweezers, robes, earrings and alarm clocks—must also be accessible to their male counterparts under compulsion of the equal-protection provisions of the state and federal constitutions.