(Subscription required) Four rulings set limits on automatic reversal, sharpening a fight between lawmakers, judges and advocates over whether racism can be "harmless."

The state high court decided on May 28 that California Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6—the judicial disqualification process for judges believed to be prejudiced against a party—violates the separation of powers and can be challenged.

A federal appeals court fined two Southern California lawyers $2,500 each and suspended them from practice in the court for six months Wednesday after finding that they used artificial intelligence to cite nonexistent cases to the court and then claimed they hadn’t knowingly done so.

(Subscription required) The governor’s unveiling of his latest appellate picks follows the Commission on Judicial Appointments’ approval two weeks ago of five justices. If the commission confirms Newsom’s current round of appointments as expected, the state will have just a handful of vacancies on the courts of appeal as the governor heads into his final months in office.