Joyce Kennard, the second woman ever appointed to the California Supreme Court and an independent voice during her 25 years as a justice, died on Aug. 26, the court announced Friday. She was 85. The court said it would hold a memorial session for Kennard during its upcoming term.

At its September 17–18 meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a recommendation to the California Supreme Court to establish a statewide Community Justice Worker (CJW) Program. The proposal, once approved by the Court, would authorize trained nonlawyers, known as Community Justice Workers, to provide limited legal assistance to California residents under the supervision of approved legal aid organizations.

Developed in 2006 as part of the previous year’s Centennial of the California Courts of Appeal commemoration, the project features more than 150 interviews posted on the California Appellate Court Legacy Project’s webpage. Through in-depth recorded video interviews, state appellate court justices recount their childhoods, career pathways, public service experience, notable opinions, and other events that have helped shape their perspectives.

Some US law students arrived on campus this fall to find they aren't allowed to use their laptops or phones in class, as schools push to restrict access to AI. Others are being required to use AI in certain courses. And some are encountering both approaches simultaneously as their schools attempt to balance traditional legal learning with training on a technology that’s rapidly transforming the legal profession.