The 320-page lawsuit, filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court, accuses Huntington Beach of violating California’s Constitution and the state election code over a new charter amendment that would require voters to show photo identification in local elections starting in 2026.

(Subscription required) "The best, most effective lawyers I have ever met are not jerks," Gee told the assembled attorneys. "They are tenacious advocates. They do not tear down or disrespect their opponents. When they encounter opponents who act like jerks, they either ignore them, or they de-escalate in a respectful way."

The essay might not be giving the California Supreme Court enough credit when it says the court generally doesn’t interpret the State Constitution independently. A pair of 2019 decisions are good examples of the court ruling without regard to what the U.S. Supreme Court has said or might say.

(Subscription required) A nearly 5-year-old program run by California judges to mentor attorneys through the process of applying for a bench appointment has been so successful that it is being expanded to people who would like to become research attorneys for a court of appeal.