• California HOA triumphs over ADU law

    CalMatters
    April 6, 2026

    A San Diego County judge ruled against the Carlsbad condo owner who tried to convert his garage into a rental unit over the objections of his homeowners association. The ruling brings to an end — at least for now — a year-long legal tussle centered on whether state housing law written to make it harder for locals to reject new developments also applies to all homeowners associations.

  • Family Code Provisions Prevail Over Contract Principles

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    April 6, 2026

    A judge in a marital-dissolution case may whittle down an award of attorney fees based on equitable considerations despite the spouses having contractually agreed that the prevailing party in a dispute would be entitled a reasonable amount to cover lawyer bills, Div. Six of the Court of Appeal for this district held on Friday.

  • Judge denies request by ‘lookout’ accomplice to overturn conviction in Orange County’s notorious 1992 ‘honor roll murder’

    The Orange County Register
    April 6, 2026

    A long-running request by a man who spent more than a decade in prison to have his conviction for serving as a lookout during the notorious 1992 “honor roll murder” of a teen by his high school-age peers overturned has been denied by an Orange County judge.

  • The Inland Empire still needs more judges, California’s chief justice says

    The Press-Enterprise
    April 6, 2026

    The Inland Empire remains well short of the number of judges it needs to keep up with high caseloads, California’s top justice recently told state lawmakers. A Riverside Superior Court spokesperson said there’s still a gap between the number of funded and authorized judgeships and the number the county still needs to keep up with demand.