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

  • California Supreme Court Finds Sheriff’s Seizure of 650,000 Ballots Unlawful

    State Court Report
    October 5, 2026

    Last month, the California Supreme Court rebuked a local sheriff’s unprecedented seizure of roughly 650,000 ballots cast in the state’s November 2025 special election. The sheriff’s seizure of ballots came amid other efforts this year by federal law enforcement to seize or obtain election records in Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan, raising concerns about a similar incident occurring during the upcoming midterms when a seizure could be even more disruptive. 

  • Newsom signs law prompted by Berkeley housing projects that dodged labor standards

    Associated Press
    October 5, 2026

    Two Berkeley housing projects that used a powerful state program to exempt themselves from local labor mandates have inspired a new law barring future developments from following their playbook. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a bill requiring that large developments comply with local labor standards that mandates builders of major projects provide apprenticeship programs and health care coverage to workers.

  • Judicial Profile: San Diego County Judge Michael T. Smyth

    Daily Journal
    October 6, 2026

    (Subscription required) After helping decide how many judges San Diego's civil courts needed, former Presiding Judge Michael T. Smyth now handles a 1,400-case calendar and concedes he underestimated the workload. 

  • Felony-Murder Conviction Stands in Slaying of Off-Duty L.A. Sheriff’s Department Deputy

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    October 6, 2026

    Div. One of this district’s Court of Appeal has affirmed an order denying a petition for resentencing filed by a man who aided in an attempted robbery during which a co-conspirator fatally shot an off-duty deputy, with the justices rejecting the contention that the decedent did not qualify as a “peace officer”—for purposes of a statutory carve-out to the legislation virtually abolishing the felony-murder rule—because she served in a custodial assignment.

  • Latina chief judges look beyond historic firsts at San Francisco forum

    Daily Journal
    October 6, 2026

    (Subscription required) Chief Judges Mary H. Murguia and Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers reflected on being the first Latinas in their roles and urged younger lawyers to make sure others follow them. Murguia and Gonzalez Rogers appeared before a nearly full ceremonial courtroom at the Phillip Burton Federal Building and United States Courthouse in San Francisco. 

  • 9th Circuit revives Invisalign maker antitrust claims

    Daily Journal
    October 6, 2026

    (Subscription required) A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Monday revived antirust claims against Align Technology Inc., the maker of dental aligner Invisalign, over allegations that the company illegally refused to deal with a competitor. The per curiam opinion does not decide if the plaintiffs should prevail but sent Section 2 Sherman Act claims back to a San Francisco district judge to have cases filed by dentists and consumers decided by him.

    Related: Courthouse News Service

  • What to Know About Judicial Selection

    California Courts Newsroom
    October 5, 2026

    This November, millions of Californians will cast ballots for offices and propositions at the local, state, and federal levels. Among the choices: 64 state judicial officers who qualify for retention. Each voter will only see the judicial officers relevant to their district, but all Californians will vote to retain any Supreme Court justices as well as Court of Appeal justices serving their region.

  • Year in Review: California Supreme Court 2025-2026

    California Courts Newsroom
    October 5, 2026

    With the high court having a temporarily vacant seat following the October 2025 retirement of Justice Martin Jenkins, 42 Court of Appeal justices served as pro tempore justices in cases it decided last year. Representing all six appellate districts, these justices participated in cases involving the right to bail, tort liability for drug manufacturers, and peremptory challenges to judges, among other issues of statewide importance.