NewsLinks is a collection of recent news items relating primarily to the California judicial branch. NewsLinks does not verify or endorse the accuracy or fairness of the news items, and the views expressed in opinions, editorials, and commentaries are those of the writers only. Some news articles linked from this page may require a subscription or be behind a paywall.

NewsLinks

  • Judges at the Superior Court accept statewide outreach challenge to celebrate America250

    BenitoLink
    August 5, 2026

    Beginning in August, Presiding Judge J. Omar Rodriguez pledges to connect with at least 250 K–12 students by the end of 2026. Judges are available for classroom visits that focus on age-appropriate discussions about constitutional rights and Q&A sessions where students can learn firsthand about a judge’s role.

  • California Nears Becoming First to Set Attorney AI Guardrails

    Bloomberg Law
    August 6, 2026

    (Subscription required) California legislators are nearing the final steps to create a first-in-the-nation law for the legal industry, establishing ethical expectations and guardrails for lawyers and arbitrators in the state on the use of generative artificial intelligence.

  • Kern County Superior Court seeking public input through survey

    KGET
    August 4, 2026

    The Kern County court is seeking public input on its upcoming five-year strategic plan through a public survey, which asks questions about how the courts serve the public and access to justice.

  • Riverside County seized ballots case goes to California Supreme Court

    The Press-Enterprise
    August 6, 2026

    The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Monday, Aug. 24, in two cases stemming from the sheriff’s seizure earlier this year of ballots cast by Riverside County voters in November’s Proposition 50 special election, which redrew the state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats.

  • Commission to Act on C.A. Nominations

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    August 6, 2026

    Members of the Commission on Judicial Appointments will meet today in San Francisco to consider the nomination of Court of Appeal Associate Justice Tari Cody of this district’s Court of Appeal Div. Six as presiding justice of the Ventura-based panel on which she now sits and the proposed elevation of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Nicholas Daum as a justice of this district’s Div. Four.

  • California Supreme Court Rules Gilead Had No Legal Duty to Bring a Newer HIV Drug to Market Sooner

    Medical Daily
    August 5, 2026

    The California Supreme Court ruled on August 3 that Gilead Sciences owed no legal duty to patients to develop and commercialize a newer HIV medication faster than it did, ending years of litigation brought by roughly 24,000 people who took the company's older tenofovir-based drugs.

    Related: Fierce Pharma, Law360, Supreme Court of California - Opinion

  • Judges From Sixth District Courts Convene for Power of Democracy Workshop

    California Courts Newsroom
    August 4, 2026

    Representatives from the Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz superior courts, along with justices from the Sixth Appellate District, convened to discuss strategies for engaging K–12 educators and students, and educating them about the judicial system. The workshop doubled as a showcase for court programs already succeeding across the region. 

  • Jurisdiction Lies Over Chinese Citizen Served in California, Ninth Circuit Declares

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    August 4, 2026

    The District Court for the Southern District of California gained personal jurisdiction over a Chinese citizen notwithstanding that the summons was handed to a cohabitant of the dwelling in which the defendant was residing, rather than personally serving him, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday.