(Subscription required) When her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, Wendy Shapero stepped deeper into the work, finding structure and purpose in a demanding courtroom.

Judge Therese M. Stewart, the presiding judge for the state’s 1st District Court of Appeal, granted a temporary stay of enforcement Wednesday, April 8 — one day before an earlier pause on enforcement was set to end — while the court considers a Hoopes argument that the fees are unconstitutional and should be overturned.

The legal dispute involving Rob Bonta and Chad Bianco over a 2025 election investigation is now on hold as both sides await further direction from the California Supreme Court. On April 8, the California Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, issuing an emergency stay and ordering the sheriff’s office to temporarily halt its investigation into the 2025 special election. 

(Subscription required) In a closely watched case, the 9th Circuit held that young plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge greenhouse gas policies they say favor present-day consumption over future harm.