Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed four persons to the Los Angeles Superior Court. He announced late Monday that he selected Sarah J. Ellenberg, who has served as a court commissioner since April 2024, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Juan C. Dominguez.

The Court of Appeal for this district has held that the right of a purchaser under the state’s “lemon law” to damages where the manufacturer of an unrepairable automobile spurned a demand to take back the vehicle and refund the purchase price cannot be judicially impaired by hacking from an award the amount paid by an insurer after the car was totaled in a hit-and-run accident.

After a year of reforms, attorneys applaud Los Angeles County Superior Court technology and settlement tools but say staffing shortages, trial delays and calendar congestion continue to undermine efficiency and justice.

Public records lawsuit alleges coordination with environmental groups and improper redactions.