Div. One of the Court of Appeal for this district has affirmed the conviction of former movie producer Harvey Weinstein on three counts of felonious sexual misconduct, saying that the trial judge properly applied the state’s “rape shield law” which seeks to guard against character assassination of victims, but ordered a resentencing, with the concurrence of the Attorney General’s Office.

(Subscription required) Orange County Superior Court Judge Benjamin A. Azar abandoned his dreams of a career in sports journalism after the sudden death of his best friend inspired him to pursue law, public service, and, ultimately, a judgeship focused on helping families in crisis. 

The Supreme Court yet again loosened campaign finance restrictions on Tuesday by striking down limits on how much political parties may raise and spend on candidates. At issue in the case was a post-Watergate law that Congress passed to limit the amount of money individuals can give to political parties. The law, the Federal Election Campaign Act, also limited how much money political parties can spend on their candidates.

The Supreme Court once again leaped into the culture wars on Tuesday, ruling that states may ban transgender girls from participating in sports at publicly funded schools. At the heart of Tuesday's case is Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that bars sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal money.