In its ruling, the California high court’s majority cited its precedent in Rowland v. Christian, saying that foreseeability and policy considerations may justify an exception if the court assumes that Gilead had a duty of care beyond its responsibility to design and manufacture safe drugs.

Beginning in August, Presiding Judge J. Omar Rodriguez pledges to connect with at least 250 K–12 students by the end of 2026. Judges are available for classroom visits that focus on age-appropriate discussions about constitutional rights and Q&A sessions where students can learn firsthand about a judge’s role.

The California Supreme Court ruled on August 3 that Gilead Sciences owed no legal duty to patients to develop and commercialize a newer HIV medication faster than it did, ending years of litigation brought by roughly 24,000 people who took the company's older tenofovir-based drugs.

The justices will hear argument in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County on Oct. 5. The case implicates billions in potential fines from cities and states that have increasingly looked to oil companies to cover costs from emission-related damages.