(Subscription required) California’s judicial vetting committee on Friday confirmed five courts of appeal candidates, approving what could be some of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s final appointments to the state’s mid-level appellate courts. The new justices endorsed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments will fill vacancies on three courts, including three empty seats in Fourth District divisions in Santa Ana and San Diego.

The majority ruled the court should not have accepted the case, which revolved around how to assess multiple IQ scores that fall above and below the cutoff allowing execution. The case was significant because many capital punishment defendants fall into this borderline territory in the 27 states that have the death penalty.

The Los Angeles County Superior Court has been awarded the 2026 Justice Chin Technology Innovation Award in recognition of CourtHelp, an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot that assists court users in navigating the website and services.

(Subscription required) The Commission on Judicial Performance on Tuesday publicly admonished Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Susan Bryant-Deason for comments to two prospective jurors that the commission said were rude, discourteous and created the appearance of bias or prejudice.