• 9th Circuit issues first-of-its-kind ruling in international arbitration dispute

    Daily Journal
    August 12, 2026

    (Subscription required) The federal appeals court found that federal courts have jurisdiction and that forum non conveniens cannot be used to dismiss actions to confirm foreign arbitral awards under the New York Convention. 

  • California appeals court orders environmental review of Imperial County geothermal, lithium project

    Courthouse News Service
    August 11, 2026

    Controlled Thermal Resources, the project behind Hell's Kitchen, says it can generate geothermal energy while also extracting lithium, though that has not been tested on a large scale yet.

  • State Bar reverses course on certification deadline for law graduates

    Daily Journal
    August 11, 2026

    (Subscription required) After weeks of objections from prosecutors and public defenders, the State Bar admissions chief says the agency has reversed its interpretation of a new certification deadline, restoring eligibility for some graduates previously blocked from post-bar practice, which affected district attorney and public defender offices statewide.

  • Adams Chosen as C.A. Presiding Justice, Hippach Named Associate Justice

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    August 11, 2026

    Court of Appeal Associate Justice Rashida Adams of this district’s Div. Three will be elevated to the post of associate justice of her division, if Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nomination of her is confirmed by the three-member Commission on Judicial Appointments. Also named to the Court of Appeal for this district, in a round of appointments late Friday is Denise Hippach, a judge of the San Luis Obispo Superior Court.