(Subscription required) The California Supreme Court held that a prosecutor's claim that a prospective juror was "less attentive" than others is not enough to support a peremptory strike, saying a 2022 California law aimed at prohibiting bias in juror removals requires more than a behavioral reason.

CARE Court allows family members, first responders and others to ask a court — by way of a petition — to step in with a voluntary care agreement for someone living with serious, untreated mental illness, such as schizophrenia, to receive community-based mental health services. County officials said petitions filed in L.A. County jumped by about 85% between November 2025 and March 2026, with March seeing a total of 68 petitions.

Since California courts began tracking civil arrests at courthouses June 1 under a new statewide reporting rule, Stanislaus County Superior Court has reported seven — all made by ICE, Court Executive Officer Hugh Swift told The Bee.  The actions are part of what attorneys, prosecutors, and court officials describe as renewed courthouse immigration enforcement that is raising questions about court access, public safety and the administration of justice.

(Subscription required) After years of balancing work, school, and grueling commutes to earn her law degree, Orange County Judge Carmen D. Snuggs-Spraggins brings patience, practicality, and a willingness to hear the person behind each case to her criminal courtroom.