• California’s Switchblade Ban Survives Facial Challenge

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    February 2, 2026

    The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held Friday that California’s regulatory scheme restricting the possession of switchblade knives survives a facial Second Amendment challenge brought by a group of individuals, retailers, and a weapons-rights advocacy group, saying that, because the plaintiffs cannot establish that the regulations are unconstitutional in every application, the laws survive constitutional scrutiny.

  • Arbitral Immunity Extends to False Advertising, Over-Billing

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    February 2, 2026

    Arbitral immunity extends protection to alleged false advertising to lure customers and to fraudulent billings, Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has declared, affirming a judgment of dismissal of an action against a former member of that panel, Sheila Prell Sonenshine.

  • Ventura County Family Justice Center adds second legal aid attorney

    VC Star
    February 2, 2026

    Crime victims face many challenges, but the Ventura County District Attorney's Office believes that navigating the legal system shouldn’t be one of them. The agency recently added a second legal aid attorney at the Ventura County Family Justice Center, which provides free, comprehensive resources to victims of crime.

  • Appeals court overturns former UCLA gynecologist’s sex abuse conviction

    Associated Press
    February 2, 2026

    A California appeals court on Monday overturned a sex abuse conviction against a former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist and ordered the case to be retried. A three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Dr. James Heaps was denied a fair trial because the judge did not share with his defense counsel a note by the court’s foreman pointing out concerns that one juror lacked sufficient English to carry out their duties.