(Subscription required) Since his appointment to the Riverside County Superior Court in 2013, Isaac has worn many hats — family law, small claims, traffic and name and change requests. He now presides over misdemeanors, post-conviction matters and unlawful detainers at the Banning Justice Center, located in the San Gorgonio Pass on the desert highway toward Nevada and Arizona.

(Subscription required) The legacy of Brown’s appointments should include their accomplishments in future positions made possible by his decision to choose them for the State Supreme Court.

Two months ago, the Supreme Court in People v. Lewis (2021) 11 Cal.5th 952 interpreted Penal Code section 1170.95, which was enacted in Senate Bill 1437, 2018 legislation narrowing murder liability under the felony murder theory and the natural and probable consequences doctrine. Last week, the Legislature sent to the Governor a bill — SB 775 — that would amend the statute. 

A California appeals court has overturned the convictions of three Black men over a double slaying, saying prosecutors dismissed a Black woman from the jury pool for racial reasons.