(Subscription required) The Commission on Judicial Performance vacated Monday's scheduled hearing for retired justice William J. Murray Jr., a move that often signals a pending resolution.

(Subscription required) U.S. District Judge Michelle Williams Court, in the Central District of California, found that Knight Law Group, Altman Law Group and Wirtz Law were immune under the Noerr-Pennington doctrine, which protects lawyers from liability for simply petitioning the courts under the First Amendment unless the corporations can prove the cases are “sham” lawsuits. As such, she dismissed the complaint, which had alleged the firms collectively billed $100 million in fraudulent fees.

It was not unreasonable for a police officer to conduct a pat-down search of a detained suspect who was in handcuffs, Div. Six of this district’s Court of Appeal declared yesterday, rejecting the contention that the appellant could not have posed a danger to officers while restrained.

Chevron U.S.A. v. Plaquemines Parish may look at first glance like a “sleepy” case. The justices will simply decide whether a Louisiana community’s lawsuit against the energy giant should be heard in state or federal court. But this procedural question could affect other lawsuits targeting industries including energy, firearms, beef and more.