California cities can’t require taxpayers to navigate extra local procedures before seeking a tax refund in court, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday in a long-running lawsuit involving Marathon Petroleum, which operates the state’s largest refinery. The decision gives Marathon a procedural victory in its tax battle with the City of Carson, which in 2022 told Marathon subsidiary Tesoro that it owed additional taxes under the city’s oil-industry business license tax. 

Judge Steven Jahr served for more than 20 years on the Shasta County bench before coming out of retirement to serve as the council’s administrative director from 2012-2014. In a recent interview, he answered questions about his career-long efforts to improve the California court system, including his time as a council member and as the council’s administrative director.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals—not being bound by a requirement, such as that set forth in California’s Constitution, that appellate decisions put forth “reasons stated”—has affirmed a decision denying attorney fees and a trebling of damages in a trademark-infringement action against proprietors of “puppy mills,” saying, only: “We affirm on all issues for the reasons given by the district court.”

The Commission on Judicial Nominations on Friday gave a green light to the elevation of Tari Cody from the post of associate justice of the Court of Appeal for this district to presiding justice and confirmed Nicholas Daum’s step up from the Los Angeles Superior Court to this district’s appeals court. Also confirmed were Sonny S. Sandhu as an associate justice in the Fifth District and Charles Adams in the Sixth District.