Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday that a trial judge did not err in denying an application for court approval to change her name from three monikers to eight based on a finding that the proposal “raises the likelihood of inciting violence” due to the inclusion of “Hitler” as an additional surname.

(Subscription required) At the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Judge George F. Bird Jr. approaches family law disputes by looking beyond the filings to the lives that shaped them. Drawing on his own history of hardship, military service and decades in practice, Bird says understanding "what happened before that time" is essential to earning trust -- and reaching the right decision.

All Californians are invited to participate in California’s digital democracy effort, as Governor Newsom launches Engaged California statewide to give Californians a stronger voice in AI policy and assess its impact on the state’s economy and workers. This is the first statewide use of the tool, open to every resident.

(Subscription required) Judges, lawyers and treatment officials from across California are gathering in Los Angeles this week for the 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Symposium, a three-day conference focused on improving coordination, trauma-informed practices and rehabilitation programs for justice-involved veterans.