Div. One of this district’s Court of Appeal has held that a defendant, who has been identified as eligible for resentencing under a provision that contemplates such reconsideration if the accused’s initial sentence includes a now-defunct prior-prison enhancement, is not foreclosed from securing relief by virtue of having been released on parole before the hearing takes place even though the statute references inmates “currently serving a term.”

A federal judge Wednesday heard arguments in the Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging California’s new law prohibiting ICE agents and other police officers from wearing masks on duty. The judge asked how ICE agents operated without masks in years past, and questioned why California peace officers were exempted from the law. A ruling in closely-watched case could come as soon as this week.

The congressional map approved by California voters to boost the number of House Democrats was upheld Wednesday by a divided federal court, which said they were legally drawn for political purposes and not as an act of racial discrimination, as Republicans contended.

On Friday, the California Supreme Court denied Flores’ second appeal to overturn or reduce his conviction — his last opportunity to do so. Flores, 49, was convicted of Smart’s murder in October 2022 following a three-month trial. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.