The California Supreme Court held yesterday that amendments to Penal Code §1170(b), adopted in 2022, that limit a sentencing judge to the middle term absent a stipulation by the defendant or jury findings as to certain aggravating circumstances apply to all non-final judgments even if a high term was imposed as part of a pre-enactment, negotiated plea deal that resulted in more serious charges being dismissed.

The California Supreme Court held yesterday that a statute providing a cause of action for disclosures of confidential medical records only requires a showing that a leak exposed a user’s information to “a significant risk of unauthorized access,” disapproving a line of cases saying that a plaintiff must prove that the information was “actually viewed.”

Stanislaus County could proceed with a $6.75 million project to upgrade Juvenile Justice courtroom space. A staff report for Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting says the county’s two Juvenile Justice courtrooms are antiquated and no longer meet standards of the Judicial Council of California.

The construction project will provide a new 6-story, 15-courtroom courthouse of approximately 170,000 square feet in the city of Santa Rosa. The building will consolidate court services, and address overcrowding and security issues