An accomplice may be convicted under the felony-murder rule—to the extent it was not abolished by 2018 legislation—under circumstances where the person does not assist in the killing, Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held on Friday, in a 2-1 opinion.

Legislators may be off for spring recess, but debates about their bills are still happening outside committee rooms. One spicy intra-party exchange between Democratic Assemblymembers focuses on a measure about retail theft — underscoring the difficult balance for lawmakers responding to public concerns about crime, while not over-policing historically targeted communities.

The State Bar’s Annual Diversity Report Card released today highlights the demographic composition of California’s 2023 attorney population and, for the first time, analyzes changing trends in demographic representation since 2019. The report also explores racial/ethnic and gender patterns in recent cohorts of attorneys admitted to the State Bar.  

(Subscription required) 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.' The motto has served Judge Holly L. Hancock well on her road to becoming a bench officer a year ago and in her misdemeanor courtroom on a day-to-day basis, where she offers defendants more than one chance to get it right.