The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday reversed an order vacating the conviction and death sentence of a California man who admitted to raping a woman before setting her on fire, saying that District Court Judge Otis D. Wright II of the Central District of California wrongly found that the California Supreme Court acted unreasonably in rejecting the defendant’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims in his state-court habeas corpus petition.

The California Distinguished Schools Program recognized three categories of exceptional schools: those closing the achievement gap, those demonstrating exceptional student performance, and those serving rural or Title I communities that distinguish themselves through high achievement across multiple student outcomes.

A man scheduled to stand trial next week pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for a Placer County death from fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that has been sold by dealers on social media and other online platforms. James Scott Teahan Jr., 35, was convicted of murder in the death of Stephen Windham, who died from fentanyl on April 24, 2024.

When CARE Courts were introduced in California in 2022, they were touted as a way to help California’s most vulnerable. The system was designed to allow family members, first responders, and others to petition the courts on another person’s behalf, who may be homeless, severely mentally ill, or both, to compel them into a variety of treatments. As of July of 2025, just 2,421 petitions have been filed, with 45% of all petitions being dismissed. New legislation has been introduced to address some perceived gaps in care.