Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled to Chicago last week to attend the funeral of Rev. Jesse Jackson, joining a gathering of prominent political leaders, clergy and civil rights figures paying tribute to one of the most influential voices in the modern civil rights movement. Overall, the report finds that the state’s judiciary has become steadily more representative of California’s population over the past 20 years

The number of LGBTQ people serving on state courts across California continues to grow, marking a 4% increase over the last 14 years on the official annual tallies released by the Judicial Council of California. And, in 2025, the number of trial courts that had out judges saw a slight uptick for the first time in several years.

(Subscription required) In a published opinion, the Fourth District Court of Appeal on March 5 levied the fine against Los Alamitos attorney Roxanne Chung Bonar and reported her to the state bar for relying on fictitious case authorities.

These competencies are especially essential in California, where voters regularly decide on high-stakes policy through initiatives and where civic participation has real consequences for budgeting, housing and educational opportunity.