The Honorable Joni T. Hiramoto, the Court’s current Assistant Presiding Judge, will become Presiding Judge, and the Honorable Benjamin T. Reyes II has been elected to serve as Assistant Presiding Judge. Their terms run from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028. Judge Hiramoto will succeed the Honorable Christopher R. Bowen, whose term as Presiding Judge ends December 31, 2026.

(Subscription required) An en banc 9th Circuit upheld Hawaii's firearm acquisition requirements, drawing sharp dissents that accuse the court of using a footnote in Bruen to sidestep the Supreme Court's text-and-history test for Second Amendment challenges.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has been asked to reverse a judgment dismissing a putative class action against the maker of tooth-care products that were represented as providing “instant teeth whitening,” a claim the plaintiffs insist is a provable falsehood but which a magistrate judge declared to be mere puffery.

(Subscription required) Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday he has signed three criminal justice bills affecting indigent defense, dismissed felony charges and threats against public officials, while vetoing a measure that would have broadened standards for post-conviction relief.