Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal yesterday upended a defendant’s conviction for arson of “grassland” where the fire in question was set to a green patch adjacent to a sidewalk on a busy residential street, saying that the presence of natural turf is insufficient to trigger the enhanced criminal sanctions applicable where the blaze affects certain types of natural features.

Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal has held that a trial judge did not err in denying a mid-trial continuance to a defendant after his lead attorney announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19, finding no abuse of discretion in the determination that a second-chair lawyer with allegedly limited civil experience could take over the case involving a car collision for a few days while she recovered in isolation.

Sonoma County’s new Hall of Justice was formally dedicated May 29, marking a major milestone for a long-planned courthouse project intended to centralize key court operations in Santa Rosa. The facility is designed to consolidate criminal, traffic, juvenile dependency and family court functions now split between the existing Hall of Justice and the Main Adult Detention Facility.

(Subscription required) Former Sidley Austin leader Michael Kelley discusses judging, writing, public trust, and why San Luis Obispo reminds him of Tuscany.