The California Supreme Court yesterday upended the conviction of a death row inmate accused of fatally stabbing a 76-year-old man 42 times during a 1993 Bakersfield home-invasion robbery, ruling for the second time that botched competency proceedings in the trial court undermined the judgment. 

A divided California Supreme Court held yesterday that an order altering a defendant’s sentence in habeas proceedings does not automatically trigger a right to a full resentencing hearing such that a defendant is entitled to have a judge consider all applicable laws that have the potential to reduce his penalty, including those that were adopted after his sentence became final.

The Imperial County District Attorney’s Office has expanded its efforts to recruit and train new prosecutors, welcoming five recent law school graduates into its summer post-bar program while hiring four new paralegals. The post-bar program was established earlier this year as part of the District Attorney’s Office’s efforts to address recruitment and retention challenges faced by prosecutor’s offices in rural areas of California.

Justices and court staff from the Court of Appeal, Sixth Appellate District hosted a special groundbreaking ceremony on August 5 to officially celebrate the start of construction of a new courthouse in Sunnyvale. The new building will improve security and accessibility, expand public waiting areas, and increase operational efficiency.