Div. Three of the First District Court of Appeal has held that the crime of causing injury while driving drunk is not a lesser included offense of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, where separate victims are attached to each of the counts, such that a guilty verdict on the latter charge does not preclude a conviction on the former.

Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday that a trial judge erred in dismissing a murder prosecution based on a 27-year delay in bringing charges. One man—Steven Thomas—was successfully prosecuted in 1996 for the fatal stabbing two years earlier of Karl Senser during a robbery. But the San Diego District Attorney’s Office did not believe it had sufficient evidence to convict Leon Daniel McInnis who was believed to be Thomas’s accomplice.

(Subscription required) Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sumako McCallum says she draws on lessons from three generations of women in her family to guide her calm, child-centered approach on the dependency bench.

California is promoting a “kin-first” approach to adoption, which prioritizes placing children with relatives. At an October council meeting, an adoptive family shared personal stories illustrating how kin placements have led to more stable and nurturing environments.