At the Public Policy Institute of California, we are proud to celebrate a notable milestone: the opening of the Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Courthouse in downtown Sacramento. This moment is more than the unveiling of a new civic building—it is a tribute to a career defined by integrity, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public service.

(Subscription required) California’s Supreme Court on Monday reversed a 26-year-old death penalty sentence, concluding that a trial judge should not have allowed a defendant suspected of mental incompetence to represent himself in the penalty phase. The unanimous court held that a California legal standard adopted in 2012—well after a jury sentenced Jeffery Lee Hronis to death—outlining when a judge can deny defendants’ requests to act as their own attorneys is retroactive.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the nomination of Imperial County Superior Court Presiding Judge Eran Marie Bermudez to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, signaling a continued effort to elevate veteran trial jurists to the state’s higher benches.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that a District Court judge properly dismissed, without leave to amend, a putative class action complaint alleging violations of California consumer protection laws by the The Brita Products Company based on labels on filters promising “healthier” water while asserting that the products fail to remove the presence of common contaminants like arsenic and certain so-called “forever chemicals.”