(Subscription required) After more than three decades as a civil litigator, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald F. Frank sought out one of the court system's busiest assignments -- unlawful detainers -- where a compressed calendar, self-represented litigants and competing hardships demand quick preparation and careful 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 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. 

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.