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

  • Judicial Profile: Los Angeles County Judge Alison Matsumoto

    Daily Journal
    March 23, 2026

    (Subscription required) From voir dire to sentencing, Judge Alison Matsumoto describes the unpredictability of jury trials, the evolution of criminal law and the responsibility of making high-stakes decisions from the bench. 

  • Where Calif. State Courts Landed On Generative AI Use Rules

    Law360
    March 20, 2026

    (Subscription required) The majority of California's 58 superior courts - together making up the country's largest trial court system - have decided to greenlight the use of generative artificial intelligence in their work this year, a Law360 investigation found. 

  • California Supreme Court takes up whether ministers can sue religious organizations over wages

    The San Diego Union-Tribune
    March 23, 2026

    The question the California Supreme Court agreed to hear was: is a religious employer excused from wage claims brought by its minister-employees simply because it is a religious employer or, instead, are such claims only limited to the extent the religious employer can demonstrate in a particular case that the minister’s claims implicate the entity’s internal government closely linked to religious doctrine?

  • Pro Pers Are Held to Same Standard as Lawyers in Using AI

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    March 23, 2026

    Div. Four of the First District Court of Appeal has served notice to self-represented lay parties that they, to the same extent as lawyers, are subject to monetary sanctions for providing false citations as the result of using artificial intelligence.

  • Judgment After Arbitral Award May Be Axed Due to Standing

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    March 23, 2026

    A divided Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal on Friday vacated a $21 million judgment based on an arbitral award due to purported standing deficiencies not raised in the trial court, asserting that the rule that jurisdiction can be raised at any time takes precedence over principles concerning the limited judicial role in overseeing arbitration proceedings.

  • C.A. Says Impound, Search of Vehicle Based on Suspended License Alone Violates Constitution

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    March 23, 2026

    The Sixth District Court of Appeal has held that the Fourth Amendment precludes the admission of evidence obtained during an inventory search of a vehicle that was impounded solely due to the suspended status of the driver’s license and a concern that the defendant might drive off in the car after receiving a citation.

  • Courts Using AI and Cybersecurity Advances to Improve Access to Justice

    California Courts Newsroom
    March 20, 2026

    A recent statewide technology summit convened hundreds of court professionals from around the state to talk about cybersecurity and how using artificial intelligence (AI) data can improve efficiency and benefit court users.

  • DOJ proposed ethics rule tests reach of state bar oversight nationwide

    Daily Journal
    March 20, 2026

    (Subscription required) A proposed DOJ rule would pause state bar investigations of federal lawyers while the department reviews complaints first, reviving a decades-old fight over ethics enforcement, federal power and accountability questions.