The Supreme Court today agreed to hear Pico Neighborhood Association v. City of Santa Monica, a case that accuses Santa Monica of violating the California Voting Rights Act and the state constitution by electing its city council members at-large instead of by districts.

Once restored and modified for COVID-19, the courtrooms will be used to handle criminal cases, while jury trials will be held in Department 8, Santa Maria's largest courtroom. Currently, jury selection and trials are held only in Santa Barbara.

Lawyers and clients alike will benefit from the State Bar committee's guidance on how to safely navigate the ethical rules while preserving litigants' access to the courts, says Julia Gewolb and Ralph Sutton of litigation funder Validity Finance.

(Subscription required) Judge Christine Van Aken says her work as a lawyer and on the bench requires grappling with the Constitution.

(Subscription required) "The fact that we held 100 jury trials since the partial reopening of the court in May is a testament to the commitment of our citizens to the Constitution and our shared values," said Presiding Judge Kirk H. Nakamura.

(Subscription required) With businesses continuing to close and no federally backed insurance product available to specifically cover COVID-19, business owners and insurers have been forced to litigate over whether existing business interruption insurance should cover losses due to the virus.

As U.S. families continue being forced from their homes, renters’ advocates and lawmakers are calling for “right to counsel” policies to give all tenants legal representation in eviction court or help navigating the protections open to them.

The program is the first of its kind in Los Angeles County and will work with all sectors of the legal community, including bar associations, public interest organizations, government attorneys, private law firms and solo practitioners to develop wide-ranging outreach, officials said.

Program highlights include a tribute to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the first Asian-Filipina American to serve as the state’s Chief Justice.

(Subscription required) “I think the significance of this award is that the public recognizes that we need to hold out a helping hand to our veterans and military families. I’m just a vehicle for the public to show its recognition of our veterans,” Moore said in an interview Monday.