The two cases were among four appeals ruled upon by the court this week that focused on the Racial Justice Act, a first-in-the-nation state law that took effect in 2021 and invalidated criminal convictions or sentences in which any participant — lawyers for either side, the judge, jurors or an expert witness — showed racial bias or used discriminatory language, even unintentionally.

(Subscription required) After nearly two decades handling toxic torts and corporate litigation at a major firm, Yang now presides over the custody disputes and fractured families of Pasadena's family court -- work she says suits her personality far better. 

(Subscription required) Courts across California have been asking for years for guidance on how to implement the Racial Justice Act. On Monday, they got it -- a lot of it. Four rulings clarify how courts should handle racial bias challenges, while drawing sharp dissents over harmless error and coded language. 

In a 107-page opinion, Associate Justice Leondra Kruger wrote on behalf of the panel's majority that the jury was presented with evidence that the defendant "committed multiple acts of abuse and mistreatment spanning weeks — if not months — before the fatal blows that ultimately killed both children."